LOVE YOUR LIVER 3 A wide range of diseases and conditions can increase your risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, including high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, metabolic syndrome, stress, obesity,Type 2 diabetes, gastric bypass surgery, rapid weight loss, and exposure to toxins and chemicals like pesticides. Certain drugs like acetaminophen, tetracycline, cortisone, prednisone, and even high doses of vitamin A can also lead to fatty liver disease. Even if you don’t indulge in alcohol, how you quench your thirst can set you up for this potentially devastating disease. Israeli researchers found that people with NAFLD typically consume five times as many carbohydrates from soft drinks as those without the disease.The more soft drinks the study participants downed, the more likely they were to have NAFLD. Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. While the condition can be self-limiting, it can also progress to more serious conditions like fibrosis, cirrhosis, or even liver cancer. There are three primary types of hepatitis: Hepatitis A is caused by the ingestion of food or water that’s contaminated with the virus. Hepatitis B and C are spread through bodily fluids. Of those, Hepatitis C is the more prevalent, affecting approximately four million Americans. The problem is, most people don’t know that they have this disease for 10 to 30 years and symptoms, which include jaundice, dark urine, elevated liver enzymes, and an enlarged liver, may not appear until a diagnosis of cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer is made. Unfortunately, conventional drugs like interferon haven’t been very successful in treating this growing epidemic. Liver Cancer is the 10th most prevalent cancer in the U.S. Each year, about 20,000 men and 8,000 women get liver cancer—and about 16,000 men and 7,000 women die from the disease. People whose livers have been damaged by birth defects, alcohol abuse, hepatitis B or C, or cirrhosis are at particular risk of developing liver cancer. The disease can also be linked to obesity and NAFLD. Fortunately, you can protect and strengthen your liver by pairing a comprehensive supplement regime with the liver-friendly diet and healthy lifestyle changes in the next chapters. This Is Your Liver The liver is the largest internal organ in your body. It’s located in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen, tucked under the lower right ribs right beneath your diaphragm. It also extends up toward the upper left quadrant of the abdomen. The liver is divided into two lobes and has a rich blood supply obtained from two sources. The portal vein delivers blood from the gastrointestinal tract and the spleen. The hepatic artery supplies blood from the heart.