Sunday, August 31, 2014

On Health: Sylimarin In Action



Our liver does three main things: helps digest the food we eat, make proteins and gets rid of bad stuff.  All the blood that has visited the small intestines flows through the portal vein into the liver, so almost all of the nutrients we eat have to pass through the gauntlet of the liver before passing to the heart for generalized distribution. 

Why almost? There's a little absorption in our mouth and under our tongue, but almost means 99 percent for the typical person. The liver then decides what gets kept out, what gets patted down and inspected and what's allowed in to be distributed throughout your body.

In anatomy subject, we knew that the liver is the largest glandular organ in the body and performs many vital functions, including the ones I mentioned.  It is a vital organ that supports nearly every organ in the body in some facet.  This boils down to the fact that without a healthy liver, a person cannot survive.

In 2010, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease or NAFLD prevalence in the Philippines is 17.2 percent. It is an abnormal accumulation of fat in the liver cells. It can be harmless, but sometimes it may cause the liver to swell. It is a common condition. The risk factors of NAFLD include Diabetes, Obesity, High fat diet, and certain medicines.

“The first line of treatment would depend on what is the cause. If the cause is obesity, definitely weight reduction and exercise should be recommended. Sometimes we will refer them to nutritionists for proper guidance. If he/she has fatty liver, SGPT and the SGOT is high, that’s the time we give hepatotrophic agents for whatever its worth”, said Dr. Jane Ricaforte-Campos, an internist-gastroenterologist.

This September 4 at 6 p.m., join Trianon International in a health forum with guest speaker, Dra. Katherine Arupo-Reyes, an occupational medicine specialist, as we broaden our awareness for NAFLD and liver care.

For more information, visit our website at www.trianon.com.ph

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