Manage Your Liver
Q:

Beware of the drugs you take – painkillers may kill your liver

Beware of the drugs you take – painkillers may kill your liver
A:

In a recent study published in Scientific Reports, experts have warned that the common over-the-counter painkiller could be as bad for your liver as cancer.

 

Paracetamol or acetaminophen (you may recognize it as Tylenol) overdose can damage liver tissue structure. Dr Leonard Nelson from the University of Edinburgh, who co-led the study, said: "Paracetamol is the world's preferred pain remedy - it is cheap, and considered safe and effective at therapeutic dose. However, drug-induced liver damage remains an important clinical problem.”

 

He added, "When recommended doses of paracetamol are exceeded acute liver failure can occur - and is the most common cause of ALF in the UK, US Europe and Australia.”

 

Overdosing is not as rare as you think

 

Though commonly used, paracetamol is actually quite a toxic drug. It has a low therapeutic index, which means that the difference between an effective dose and a toxic dose is small.

 

In fact, it is not difficult to accidentally overdose on paracetamol. When people get sick, they often take various over-the-counter drugs to relieve symptoms. Since many of these drugs contain paracetamol, it is relatively easy to overdose without even knowing it. The overdose risk is even higher for elderly or patients who are on prescription painkillers, many of which also contain paracetamol.

 

What do painkillers do to your liver?

 

The underlying mechanism of liver injury from paracetamol is still unclear. However, Dr Nelson stated that the drug can damage the liver by harming vital structural connections between adjacent cells in the liver.

 

He explained: "We demonstrated the novel finding that paracetamol, even at low doses, induces early disruption tight junctions (TJs) in human liver cells and in a mouse liver tissue - that may have detrimental effects for patient health.”

 

TJs are structural proteins that separate and maintain different compartments of the liver. When these TJs are disrupted, liver tissue structure is damaged, cells are unable to function properly and may die eventually. This type of cell damage is known to occur in other liver conditions such as hepatitis, cirrhosis, and cancer, but until now it was not linked to paracetamol toxicity.

 

Protect your liver from the drugs you use

 

As mentioned, poisoning caused by taking too much paracetamol may be fatal. In fact, all kinds of drugs may cause harm to the liver since the liver is the primary organ responsible for breaking down these substances. Therefore, people with liver problems should always be aware of the drugs you intake.

 

If you have chronic disease that require taking long term medications, be sure to take liver function tests regularly to monitor liver condition and take preventive measures to ensure liver protection. 

 

Research has indicated that there is a clinically-applicable integrative therapy available in the market that can act as protection for the liver in patients who are under poly-drug treatment. This therapy has antioxidant properties and has been proven to significantly reduce poisoning in the subjects’ liver in studies. [4]

 

Disclaimer:
  • * All research and clinical data should be used as reference purposes only, results may vary.
Related Questions
A:
Liver issues, as one of the silent killers, seldom show distinct symptoms until scarring is formed on the liver, which is an advanced stage of liver damage. Yellowing of skin and eyes and persistent lack of energy are probably the most heard symptoms of liver problems. Besides these well-known symptoms, hair loss is also one of the warning signs of liver problem.   Normal follicle hair cycling requires proper uptake of fat-soluble vitamins, estrogen detoxification, an
A:
Liver is essential for maintaining the body’s overall health and well-being. It is involved in a wide range of critical functions for proper body functions. We couldn’t risk it failing.   A regular liver check-up is a perfect way to monitor our liver health. But when is the best time to do the liver tests? Should we see any signs of liver problems before arranging any liver test? Experts say even without any signs of liver issues, healthy individuals shoul
Hit Questions
A:
The liver carries out essential functions, including detoxifying harmful substances in your body, cleaning your blood and making new blood and other vital nutrients. Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver caused by long-term liver damage. The loss of liver cells turns into scar tissue which prevents the liver working normally, reducing or in some cases, completely losing liver function. Cirrhosis is a long-term chronic liver damage; it is often caused by chronic live
A:
ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase / SGPT) is an enzyme that is mainly found in liver cells. The level of ALT in our bloodstream is the primary indicator of liver health.   What does high ALT indicate? ALT enzymes are normally contained within liver cells when the liver is healthy, but when the liver cells are injured or damaged by whatever means, ALT enzymes are released into the bloodstream, causing levels to go up. Therefore, by measuring the
A:
AST and ALT are two common markers for diagnosing liver diseases. Patients with liver disorders often find their AST and ALT levels unsatisfactory, but what do the figures actually imply? And do patients of every kind of liver dysfunctions have the same levels?   AST:ALT ratio Although the normal range of AST and ALT level varies among laboratories and countries, the ratio of AST:ALT is key when it comes to diagnosing liver diseases. The use
A:
ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase / SGPT) is a type of enzyme found in liver cells. When the liver cells are functioning normally, the ALT enzymes should be contained within the liver cells.    You can imagine each liver cells as a balloon, and the ALT enzymes are the air inside the balloon. When the balloon is damaged, the air will be released. And when the liver cells is damaged, ALT enzymes are released into the bloodstream, therefore we are able to find out the l
YHK Liver Therapy
Your Liver
Protection

starts here.
Buy YHK
Have Questions?
Sumbit your question to us for profeessional answers!
Looking for help? Ask our customer support team!
Contact Us
Subscribe To Our Mailing List And
Never Miss Another Great Promotion!
Join our mailing list to receive latest new about our company, plus health articles. You will also be able to receive early bird discount from us!
Maybe Later, Thank you.
Subscribe success! You will receive latest new soon.