Dr. Michael Mosley: Why Spiderly’s Writing Means You Have Liver Disease

Signs of serious liver problems include fatigue, confusion, and itching of the skin, and according to the British Liver Trust, “it’s hard to write and it gets smaller with a spider,” says Dr. Michael Mosley.

Large, rugby ball sized, rubbery reddish brown, the liver is not an attractive organ.

Still, it goes quietly by performing at least 500 important functions, such as removing toxins from the blood and helping to convert the food it eats into energy, and you certainly couldn’t live without it.

The bad news is that about one in three of us shows signs of fatty liver disease. This, as the name implies, can lead to scarring, liver stiffness and dysfunction due to fat accumulation. Properly and eventually to liver failure.

Even if you avoid this extreme, liver damage is bad for your health. And because many of us treat the liver so badly, liver disease is now the leading cause of premature death in the United Kingdom.

But it’s almost a silent killer because most people don’t know they’re at risk until it’s too late.

Signs of serious liver problems include fatigue, confusion, itching of the skin, and, according to the British Liver Trust, “difficult to write and small with spiders.” Probably a sign that the toxin is reaching the brain.

One of the good news is that the liver has amazing regenerative power. A recent study in Sweden has shown that a 5: 2 diet, which I have long advocated, is a safe and effective way to slim down fatty liver. And bring it back to good health.

Previously, the main cause of liver failure was drinking too much alcohol, but nowadays it is likely to be the result of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and the high rate in the UK is predominantly rapidly expanding. Waistline to do.

This is because when you put your weight on it, the fat is not evenly distributed throughout your body.

For example, we do not develop fat legs or fat foreheads. Instead, excess calories are stored in the fat cells in your bottom, thighs, stomach, and under your skin. But beyond a certain point, your body runs out of “safe” places to store fat.

So it starts filling your liver with some of that fat. Ideally, this should be almost fat-free. If the liver has more than 5% fat, there is officially fatty liver.

Some time ago, while making a documentary, I saw a fairly overweight young man with a liver that was nearly 60% fat.

One of the good news is that the liver has amazing regenerative power. A recent study in Sweden has shown that a 5: 2 diet, which I have long advocated, is a safe and effective way to slim down fatty liver.And bring it back to good health

There are few signs of early fatty liver disease, so the only reliable way to detect it is to use an ultrasound scan or a blood test called a liver function test. It is damaged. The young documentary man was asymptomatic and only a scan revealed that he had fatty liver.

If you are over 50 years old, have a big back, or have smoke, you are at increased risk of NAFLD (tobacco contains chemicals that are toxic to hepatocytes). It is also common in people with type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or all three. But you can’t have any of these and you may still have fatty liver disease. Nine years ago, I did an MRI scan as part of a documentary I was writing and found that the liver was striped of fat.

At the time, I didn’t look overweight, but I found myself to be TOFI. The outside is thin and the inside is fat. The only sign that I was carrying too much internal fat was a 37 inch waist that was relatively large relative to my height (I’m 5 feet 11 inches)-my waist is now It’s about 34 inches.

Ideally, your waist should be less than half your height. NHS recommends losing weight if the waist is 37 inches or more for men and 31.5 inches or more for women.

Around that time, I also discovered that I had type 2 diabetes, but the two were almost certainly related. I had a 5: 2 diet (reduced calorie intake to about 600 twice a week, eat normally the other day), reduced nearly £ 20 in a few months, and had fatty liver disease. Both of fatty liver diseases have been reversed. Type 2 diabetes.

So I wasn’t surprised by the results of a recent study of 5: 2 and fatty liver by Sweden’s world-renowned Karolinska Institute.

Researchers randomly assign patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease to a 5: 2 diet, a low-carbohydrate high-fat (LCHF) diet, or general lifestyle advice from a liver specialist (liver specialist). I received it.

Twelve weeks later, those on a 5: 2 and LCHF diet lost an average of 16 pounds (7.4 kg), three times the average of those who followed standard lifestyle advice, as well as liver levels. It has dropped significantly. thick.

The dropout rate was the lowest in the 5: 2 group, suggesting that it was the easiest diet to stick to. Also, only one of the three led to a significant improvement in cholesterol, a measure of injury, and liver stiffness.

I think the reason the two diet groups did better was because they lost fat overall. For liver stiffness, intermittent fasting has been shown to reduce inflammation, which can be key.

If you are worried that you may have fatty liver, talk to your GP and have a blood test. If you find a problem, at least now you know what to do about it. Liver damage is reversible, but it is clearly better to start earlier than later.

Do you rinse after brushing your teeth? According to one survey, most people (62 percent) do.

Big mistake: If so, you are washing away the fluoride in your toothpaste. When you spit, the fluoride hangs down further, strengthening the enamel of your teeth. For the same reason, it is no good to use mouthwash after brushing.

Dental floss must be done before brushing. Studies by Iranian dentists have been suggested. They found that the dental floss and brush approach not only removes more plaque, but also removes floss after brushing. This means that released food, plaque, and bacteria remain in your mouth all night.

I run quickly, but I’m out of breath and cursing other runners!

Spring is approaching and the weather is clear, so runners across the country are reluctantly running again, dusting the trainers.

Many people, including myself, are running with the feeling that they should, not because they are having fun. And I’m jealous of those who get “high” while doing it.

For years, it has been said that this is caused by endorphins, a pleasing chemical produced by your body that mimics the action of opioid drugs. In fact, according to a new study at the University Medical Center in Hamburg, Germany, the highs are real, but have nothing to do with endorphins.

The researchers took 63 runners, all claiming to have experienced “high,” and injected either naloxone, a drug that blocks opioid intake, or placebo jab.

After 45 minutes of running, most runners reported that they were still overpriced. This suggests that it is not endorphin. It turned out to be due to an increase in endogenous cannabinoids, a chemical that mimics the action of cannabis (and is thought to affect mood).

A few years ago, I did a similar experiment with Dr. Saoirse O’Sullivan, a physiologist at the University of Nottingham. There, we tested three runners and detected a 30% increase in endocannabinoid levels after exercise.

People suffering from depression told me that they are self-medicated by running. As Dr. Osullivan explained, “Because we are mentally and physically healthy when exercising, having a reward system for exercise seems like a good theory of evolution.”

But not all of us are talking about it. Tests show that my endocannabinoid levels do not rise after exercise. Still, I believe in health benefits, so I keep running, cursing the happy runners who overtake me.

Many people, including myself, are running because they feel they should, not because they are having fun.And I’m jealous of those who get “high” while doing it [File photo]