AGENCIES: Liver is the largest solid organ situated in the upper part of the abdomen on the right side of the human body. It has a multitude of functions, including manufacturing proteins,  metabolizing and storing carbohydrates and secreting bile that contains bile acids to aid in the intestinal absorption of fats. It also helps detoxify potentially harmful biochemical products produced by the body, such as bilirubin, by metabolizing and secreting drugs, alcohol and environmental toxins.

Don’t drink a lot of alcohol.

It can damage liver cells and lead to the swelling or scarring that becomes cirrhosis, which can be deadly.

How much alcohol is too much?

US government guidelines say men should drink no more than two drinks a day and women only one.

Eat a healthy diet and get regular exercise. 

You are advised to keep your weight under control, which helps prevent nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a condition that leads to cirrhosis.

Watch out for certain medicines. Some cholesterol drugs can occasionally have a side effect that causes liver problems. The painkiller acetaminophen (Tylenol) can hurt your liver if you take too much.

You may be taking more acetaminophen than you realize. It is found in hundreds of drugs like cold medicines and prescription pain medicines.

(Agencies)