DRINK 1 CUP PER DAY to Remove Fat from Your Liver — Dr. Eric Berg DC
Dr. Eric Berg Health Opinion Summary
Health facts and nutrition recommendations for liver health and to combat fatty liver disease, a disease that many people do not know they have.
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DRINK 1 CUP PER DAY to Remove Fat from Your Liver — Dr. Eric Berg DC
Dr. Eric Berg Health Opinion Summary
APR 4, 2024
Importance of a Healthy Liver and Bile Production
Let’s all have a conversation about the significance of the liver. Is it really that crucial? Do we truly need a liver? The answer is, yes, we do need a healthy liver. The problem, however, lies in the fact that a majority of the population has a fatty liver, and many people are unaware of this condition until they undergo an ultrasound or CAT scan, which often leaves them shocked. I believe it is paramount to comprehend the importance of the liver, understand its role in our bodies, and learn how to get rid of the fat content in it.
There’s a straightforward thing you can do, which I’m going to talk about, as well as a drink you can prepare every day to reduce fat in your liver. This drink has substantial scientific backing, and I’ll share the links to the evidence, along with the components I’m going to discuss.
Firstly, it’s crucial to understand that the liver, not the gallbladder as many people believe, produces bile. The gallbladder is merely a sac that stores the bile. Understanding the role of bile will increase our appreciation for the liver. Bile is a detergent that helps breakdown fats. But what exactly does it mean to break down fats?
Imagine fats traversing through the stomach; you’ve just consumed some fat, and now it’s descending into the small intestine. The stomach will break it down partially, but needs assistance from the gallbladder, which releases bile, to act on the large clump of fat. Herein lies a problem though, bile alone can’t break this down, it needs assistance from the pancreas. There’s an enzyme in the pancreas called lipase. This enzyme is critical for bile to do its job effectively. The bile breaks down the fats into smaller pieces, providing more surface area for the lipase enzyme to act on. Simply put, bile increases the surface area of fats to facilitate their digestion and absorption in the small intestine.
A lack of bile, therefore, impedes the enzymatic action, resulting in insufficient absorption of essential vitamins such as vitamin A, whose deficiency results in symptoms such as night blindness, and weaker immune response causing severe sinus issues. Deficiencies in vitamins E and D could potentially affect your heart health contributing to inflammations, calcifications, and cholesterol build-up, and cause calcium problems such as bone loss and sleep disorders, respectively. A deficiency in vitamin K1 leads to easy bruising and bleeding, and poor blood clotting, while lack of vitamin K2 results in calcium buildup in the arteries and joints.
Apart from vitamins, insufficient absorption of vital fats such as Omega-3 fatty acids, increases inflammation, leading to conditions like arthritis, heart problems, and even dementia due to its role in brain functioning.
Secondly, bile aids in the elimination of excess cholesterol. For instance, if you’re on a ketogenic diet to lose weight, your body releases triglycerides and cholesterol from fat cells. While triglycerides can be used for energy, cholesterol can’t. Hence, bile is crucial for maintaining a healthy liver and overall body function.
Importance of Bile in Liver Function and Gallstone Formation
We need bile to help eliminate excess cholesterol. However, if there’s inadequate bile, due to reduced liver function, we end up with gallstones. Gallstones form in a super-concentrated cholesterol environment, as there is insufficient bile to emulsify and break it down, leading to crystallization. Thus, individuals with gallstones actually require more bile, not necessarily less cholesterol.
Moreover, people on statin drugs, which inhibit cholesterol production, are at risk. Surprisingly, bile is composed of cholesterol, so the use of statins significantly increases the risk of gallstones and other complications.
Another crucial function of bile salts is to assist in the elimination of toxins. Without sufficient bile salts, the body becomes toxic as it struggles to remove the toxins directed to the liver. The primary role of the liver is not to store toxins but to convert them into safe particles. The inability to detoxify these particles, coupled with medication use and environmental exposure, allows harmful substances to circulate in the bloodstream.
We seriously depend on proper liver function. Another symptom of a deteriorating liver, such as a fatty liver, is heaviness and enlargement. This abnormal growth can apply pressure onto the right side, resulting in discomfort in the right neck region, shoulder tension, and a feeling of fullness under the right rib cage.
Many may suggest flushing out the gallbladder, but it is rather the excessive fat in the liver that needs to be eradicated. This is different from flushing out toxins, which I will discuss further.
Another crucial function of the liver is converting the thyroid hormones T4 to T3. Without a healthy liver, this conversion can’t happen. Consequently, you may have hormones present, but they remain inactive due to the lack of conversion.
Importance of Liver in Thyroid Hormone Conversion and Hormone Regulation
Eighty percent of all the active T3 thyroid hormones work through the liver. So, without a fully-functioning liver, you may only get 70, 60, or 50% of it being converted. If you’re wondering why you have a thyroid problem, it is not actually the thyroid that’s an issue — it’s your liver and the conversions taking place there.
Another crucial function of the liver is to regulate excess sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone. High levels of these hormones are not healthy, and without a properly working liver, you cannot form the proteins required to balance these hormones. This imbalance can lead to issues such as polycystic ovarian syndrome in women, which is caused by an excess of androgens. Excessive estrogen can also cause problems in men, such as breast tissue complications and low testosterone levels, among others.
Since I elaborated on bile, there are several symptoms of low bile levels you should watch out for. If you find you cannot tolerate fats, experience bloating after eating, notice your stool is light-colored — pale or even grey -, floats, or leaves skid marks, this might indicate a bile deficiency. In addition, if you still feel hungry after eating, have feelings of nausea, indigestion or bloating, these can also be signs. Bloating, burping, and belching are classic signs of low bile as well.
Now that you have a basic understanding of liver function and the essential role of bile, you should know that enhancing bile reserves can help you eliminate fatty liver. Bile helps keep fats out of the liver. Some people even opt for purified bile salts as a supplement, and there is additional information on this in the link below.
Now, to combat fatty liver, I will show you an easy shake recipe. It’s also crucial to let you know that combining the ketogenic diet with intermittent fasting can decrease liver fat by 50% in just 14 days. Further details on these methods for reducing liver fat are available in the linked video below. If you have a fatty liver, it’s vital to adopt a ketogenic diet and practice intermittent fasting.
Benefits of Blueberries and Kale for Fatty Liver and Immune System Support
The shake I’m going to discuss next is a straightforward regimen that everyone can adopt to maintain a healthy liver. It’s supported by some robust science. Its ingredients are simple: kale, blueberries, and kefir. I would suggest using organic kale and organic blueberries and storing them in the freezer, making them much easier to blend.
To prepare the shake, simply take out your blender and add two cups of frozen kale, broken up into small chunks. The kale blends very smoothly when it’s cold and the taste is also more palatable. Following the kale, add in a cup of blueberries. Both kale and blueberries are abundant in quercetin, a powerful phytonutrient that aids in battling fatty liver and boosting general health, including strengthening the immune system.
A smoothie recipe that combines frozen kale, blueberries, water, and plain, whole fat kefir is recommended for targeting fatty liver. The probiotics in kefir contribute to reducing liver fat. Blend these ingredients and consume daily, accompanied by a healthy keto diet and intermittent fasting, for effective results. For more detailed information, watch the video about reducing a fatty liver within 14 days.
