An honest look at lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, and substance use can be the key to a clear picture of your liver health. “The good news is that people don’t have to do anything ‘special’ for liver health in terms of lifestyle. Having a healthy liver is basically following a healthy lifestyle,” Dr. Mehal says.
Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol can cause direct damage to liver cells and worsen fat accumulation in the liver. That’s because the liver is only able to process small amounts of alcohol.
Generally speaking, the more you drink, the higher your risk for alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD). Studies have shown that having more than two drinks per day if you’re a man, or having more than one drink per day if you’re a woman, can increase your risk. Some research has suggested that even moderate alcohol consumption — typically two drinks a day or less for men and one drink a day or less for women — can harm the liver over time.
Binge drinking — or consuming four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men in a two- to three-hour period — can also raise your risk of ARLD.
With this in mind, guidelines generally recommend not exceeding the set moderate drinking amounts — and preferably, drinking less or not drinking at all to protect liver health. People with existing liver disease are advised to avoid alcohol altogether.
Weight Management
Maintaining a healthy weight decreases fat buildup in the liver and reduces liver inflammation, particularly if you have metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which is a liver condition (formerly known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease or NAFLD) that involves liver fat accumulation linked to metabolic issues like obesity. That’s why weight loss is often recommended as part of a treatment plan for MASLD if you are overweight or have obesity.
Experts recommend losing weight through diet and exercise. For example, a nutritious eating pattern for liver health typically includes limiting fat intake, monitoring food portion sizes, and incorporating more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
According to one population-based study of 4,834 people, a diagnosis of MASLD with normal body mass index or BMI (defined here as less than 25 and less than 23 for Asian and Pacific Islanders), is associated with a possibly lower risk of liver disease progression.
If you are overweight and have MASLD, studies have shown that losing at least 3 to 5 percent of your body weight can improve symptoms of fatty liver disease, and losing 7 to 10 percent of your body weight can improve symptoms of metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a severe form of MASLD.
Exercise
Getting enough physical activity is beneficial for liver health.
Research suggests that engaging in regular exercise can improve insulin sensitivity and liver function in people with liver disease. Experts think that because physical movement boosts metabolism, it also enhances the liver’s ability to metabolize or break down fats — decreasing inflammation and reducing fat accumulation in the liver.
According to one review, at least 150 minutes each week of moderate intensity exercise of any type can improve MASLD.
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