The Importance of Liver Health for Those with Type 2 Diabetes
Living healthily is important for everyone, but it is especially important for people with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is a serious condition that can cause long-term complications like heart disease and kidney failure. But it’s not just about managing blood sugar levels.
There is a dire need to ensure your liver stays healthy, as diabetes increases the risk of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease. Good liver health plays an essential role in managing the condition and preventing its long-term complications.
It is important for those with type 2 diabetes to understand the importance of liver health and its role in their overall well-being. This article will highlight some of the reasons why it is important to keep a healthy liver.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic illness that develops when the body cannot produce or properly use insulin. This leads to many complications, such as organ damage. When you have diabetes, your blood sugar (or glucose) levels are too high because you’re not making enough or taking in enough insulin. This can lead to serious health problems such as kidney disease, heart disease, stroke, and eye disease.
The best way to check if you are diabetic is through regular blood tests. Some of these tests include an A1C test, a fasting blood sugar test, and a glucose tolerance test. Blood tests are also used to check if you are at risk of liver disease. More about this type of test can be found at http://www.fibronostics.com/
Now that we know about diabetes and how it can be diagnosed, let’s look at why liver health is vital for diabetics.
How Does the Liver Affect Blood Sugar?
The liver plays a crucial role in regulating the amount of sugar in your bloodstream. When you eat, your liver helps to process the food into proteins and other vital chemicals. The liver also plays a role in storing excess glucose as glycogen. This process is called glycogenesis.
The liver is essentially a type of reservoir for glucose and energy. When the body needs sugar or energy, the liver will assist in circulating it in the bloodstream. The liver plays a role in maintaining and regulating the blood sugar level in your body.
As a diabetic, your body is unable to use insulin properly. This leads to large amounts of excess glucose in your bloodstream. This is stored as fat in the liver. This storage of fat can lead to liver diseases such as metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD).
The Dangers of Liver Disease
When your liver is damaged and not working efficiently, it can result in liver disease. This can be caused by several issues, such as excessive alcohol, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and more.
Those with type 2 diabetes have a high risk of MAFLD. This is a type of fatty liver disease caused by the build-up of fat in those who don’t drink alcohol. It is often diagnosed in patients who have three of the following metabolic conditions:
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Metabolic dysregulation
If left untreated, MAFLD can lead to other liver-related illnesses, such as liver cirrhosis, liver damage, and liver failure. Additionally, this liver disease is associated with many health problems, such as heart disease, kidney failure, diabetes, and more.
Certain liver diseases don’t have any symptoms. However, some of the common symptoms of liver disease include the following:
- Swelling of the legs and ankles
- Itchy skin
- Dark urine
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Loss of appetite
- Abdominal pain and swelling
- Yellowish eyes and skin
How to Maintain a Healthy Liver
One way to reduce the risk of developing liver problems is by making healthy lifestyle choices. This can be done in two ways:
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Healthy Eating
Maintaining a well-balanced diet is the first step in living a healthy lifestyle. This can include eating plenty of fruits and vegetables. These food groups are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can help lower your risk of cardiovascular disease by lowering cholesterol levels in your bloodstream.
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Exercising Regularly
Physical activity is associated with several biological, psychological, and physiological health benefits. Some of these include improving mood and stress levels, managing chronic illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, and reducing depression and anxiety. Furthermore, regular exercise will result in weight loss, which can reduce the risk of several illnesses.
The Importance of Having a Healthy Liver
The liver plays an important role in your overall health and well-being. If you’re diabetic, it’s important that you know about the dangers and risks of liver disease. Managing blood sugar levels is also important, but a healthy diet and exercise are also key parts of a healthy lifestyle. This article highlights a few vital features of the importance of liver health.
