Gallbladder- What It Is, Things That Negatively Impact It, and Best Practices
What Is The Gallbladder?
The gallbladder is a green organ do to storage of the bile. It also drains bile, aiding in digestion and fat absorption. It is pair shaped, and located beneath the liver.
Things That Negatively Impact the Liver
1. Vegetable Oils
These oils are oxidized on the store shelf because they require very high heat in order to be processed, which damages the oils. This is hard for the liver to process.
2. Carbohydrate overload
Eating too many carbohydrates specifically in the form of fructose can damage your liver. This is because fructose can only be metabolized by the liver, and can add access stress.
3. Alcohol
Alcohol is immediately absorbed because enzymes break it down before it even hits the stomach. It gets converted into acetaldehyde. The enzyme that is responsible for that is called alcohol dehydrogenase. Acetaldehyde can travel many places in the body, including the smallest capillaries. The liver has a series of micro capillaries, which acetaldehyde can enter and encompass the entire liver. When you drink alcohol, the liver prioritizes getting that out of the body, and slows down other processes.
4. Pharmaceuticals
The liver is responsible for drug metabolism, so polypharmacy, or access drugs can stress the liver.
5. Pesticides
Pesticides have been shown to bioaccumulate and raise markers of liver disease.
How To Improve Liver Health
1. Eat organic
In the world full of environmental stressors, it would be best to avoid them as much as we can, and stay biologically resilient. Eating organic will help diminish the overall toxic load. Not all companies that are labeled organic do things correctly, but it’s a step in the right direction. Biodynamic certification is the highest standard for organic and regenerative agriculture.
2. Lower your glycemic load
Eating too many carbohydrates can lead to lipogenesis and the creation of VLDL, which is the type of cholesterol that can get caught up in your arteries.
3. Exercise
This is really about getting the toxicity out of your body. Moving the circulatory and lymphatic systems is always going to be beneficial.
Supplements To Enhance Liver Health
1. Milk thistle
Silymarin is a compound in milk thistle that helps regenerate liver cells, fight oxidation, and enhances protein synthesis.
2. Dandelion root
This root helps your body produce more glutathione, which is the bodies master antioxidant. It’s also very rich in phytonutrients that help with bile function.
3. Chanka piedra
This is an a herb well known for it’s interesting ability to break down stones in the body. This helps dilate smooth muscle of vessels, soften stones, and stimulate the release of bile.
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