High Liver Enzymes -- Liver Cleanse

In the modern day and age, the liver is under constant attack from various sources, and high liver enzymes is usually a sign or symptoms of something bigger going on inside the body. But let's start from square one. What is an enzyme anyway? An enzyme is a special type of protein that speeds up other chemical reactions. An enzyme is a catalyst, helping other chemical reactions . Enzymes help us digest food, deliver nutrients, carry away toxic wastes, and many other things. The liver itself produces thousands of different enzymes. So having elevated levels of liver enzymes generally means that something is out of sorts within the body. But why, you ask? What's wrong with having a few extra enzymes floating around?

The biggest problem with having higher amounts of liver enzymes is that the liver is already under an enormous strain in most people. Because of the Standard American Diet, overly-processed foods, preservatives, pesticides, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, and many other non-foods have invaded our eating habits. All of these compounds must be dealt with and detoxified from the body, which is the liver's main role. This is a large burden, as anyone can see. Elevated levels of liver enzymes put an even higher strain on an already overburdened organ, and can be one of the precursors to cirrhosis of the liver.

Here are a few of the main causes of high liver enzymes:

1. Alcoholism

• As most people are undoubtedly aware, drinking alcohol is hard on the liver.  Consuming alcohol on a regular basis is definitely a big cause of high liver enzymes.

2.  Cholesterol Medication

• Cholesterol medication, most notably statins, can be a big cause of high liver enzymes. Many of the statins flush fat through your liver, which can result in developing Fatty Liver and also a higher amount of liver enzymes. The most common liver problem that comes from statins is an elevation in the liver enzymes ALT and AST.  Clinical studies have discovered that up to 3% of patients who take statins will develop high liver enzymes.  This elevation generally reverses when the patient gets off of statin medication, or reduces the dose, and there is generally no permanent liver damage.

3. Diabetes

• Diabetes can bring about elevated levels of liver enzymes from a variety of factors.  Often, persons with diabetes also suffer from fatty liver, and this can be the cause of the elevated liver enzymes.  Another cause is certain types of diabetic medications, such as Metformin.

4. Adrenal Gland Fatigue

• When the adrenal glands get fatigued, a number of other conditions can set in.  It's even being discovered that adrenal gland fatigue might be one of the precursors to developing diabetes.  When the adrenal glands get fatigued, the lack of proper hormone production can heavily affect the liver and cause elevated liver enzymes.

5. Obesity

6. Elevated Levels of Triglycerides

7. Infections such as Mononucleosis and Viral Hepatitis

8. Autoimmune Disorders of the Liver

Supporting the liver is an absolutely essential part of staying healthy and active in our modern world. With so many chemicals and compounds constantly bombarding our livers, it's very important to give our livers the support they need in order to do an effective job and keep from being overburdened. There are a few different ways to support the liver and give the body a good cleanse every now and again.

1. Exercise

• Exercise is my favorite way to support the liver. Exercise supports the liver in three ways. First, because obesity is one of the main causes of high liver enzymes and fatty liver, reducing obesity lightens the overall load on the liver, not to mention the other organs. Second, sweating is one of the main ways that the body cleanses and detoxifies itself. Toxins are often stored in the skin, waiting to be expelled through sweat. The problem though is that most people don't sweat heavily very often, and the toxins stay built up in the body. Third, exercise and physical activity boosts liver function and helps the body produce more HDL cholesterol (the good kind) and lower LDL (the bad kind). Having lower LDL is good for the liver and the whole body, and will reduce the need for cholesterol medication, which is one of the other leading causes of high liver enzymes.

2. Liver Support Formula

• A good liver support supplement is a great way to help keep the liver functioning at peak performance, and to help the liver cleanse itself and detoxify the body. There are a number of herbs, such as Milk Thistle, that do a great job of helping the liver to cleanse itself and maintain a healthy function. Pictured to the right is one of my favorite liver support formulas. I've also left you a link to it below. This liver support formula supplement has both Milk Thistle and Glutathione, which help not only with supporting the liver, but also help regulate cholesterol as well, which is a nice bonus. Whether you get this liver support formula supplement or another, it's a good idea to take something every now and again to help one of your body's most important organs.