Everyone is Shocked: The Daily Habit Thats Hurting Your Liver - Experts Warn
Title: A Warning About Everyday Habits
Did you know something we do every day might be hurting our livers? Our liver is super important - it's like the body's cleaning crew. It helps with over 500 tasks, including getting rid of bad stuff in our blood. Some livers clean slower than others, which can sometimes be a problem with certain medicines.
But what about the vitamins and herbs many of us take daily? We think they're good for us, right? Well, some health professionals are worried. They say these supplements could be hurting our livers. A 2017 study found that 20% of liver problems nationwide were related to these kinds of supplements.
Another study in 2022 found that between 1995 to 2020, the number of people needing a new liver because of supplement use went up eight times. One person who experienced this was Robert Grafton. He used to take supplements regularly. But then he noticed his urine was dark, and he was itchy. He knew these were signs of liver problems.
Grafton told NBC, "I stopped taking everything, thank goodness. If I hadn't known, if I wasn't in the medical field, I might have thought, 'Oh, I think I'm getting sick. I need to take some more of these supplements to help me feel better.'" He added, "My liver test results were really high — all the signs of liver failure. I was so scared that I might have liver cancer or something."
After many days of worry, doctors told Grafton his liver problems were caused by the supplements. Dr. Dina Halegoua-De Marzio, who treated Grafton, now warns others about these supplements. She said, "I think people think these things are safe. The main reason we see people taking these is for their health, so I don’t think they realize there's a real risk here."
Something else to remember is that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn't check supplement safety before they go on sale. So it's important we know the risks. The FDA told NBC News, "Supplements may have ingredients that can affect the body strongly, even if they come from natural or plant sources. If people take supplements in high amounts, take many different kinds, or take supplements with or instead of medicine, they might have bad reactions."
Topics: Health, US News
Did you know something we do every day might be hurting our livers? Our liver is super important - it's like the body's cleaning crew. It helps with over 500 tasks, including getting rid of bad stuff in our blood. Some livers clean slower than others, which can sometimes be a problem with certain medicines.
But what about the vitamins and herbs many of us take daily? We think they're good for us, right? Well, some health professionals are worried. They say these supplements could be hurting our livers. A 2017 study found that 20% of liver problems nationwide were related to these kinds of supplements.
Another study in 2022 found that between 1995 to 2020, the number of people needing a new liver because of supplement use went up eight times. One person who experienced this was Robert Grafton. He used to take supplements regularly. But then he noticed his urine was dark, and he was itchy. He knew these were signs of liver problems.
Grafton told NBC, "I stopped taking everything, thank goodness. If I hadn't known, if I wasn't in the medical field, I might have thought, 'Oh, I think I'm getting sick. I need to take some more of these supplements to help me feel better.'" He added, "My liver test results were really high — all the signs of liver failure. I was so scared that I might have liver cancer or something."
After many days of worry, doctors told Grafton his liver problems were caused by the supplements. Dr. Dina Halegoua-De Marzio, who treated Grafton, now warns others about these supplements. She said, "I think people think these things are safe. The main reason we see people taking these is for their health, so I don’t think they realize there's a real risk here."
Something else to remember is that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn't check supplement safety before they go on sale. So it's important we know the risks. The FDA told NBC News, "Supplements may have ingredients that can affect the body strongly, even if they come from natural or plant sources. If people take supplements in high amounts, take many different kinds, or take supplements with or instead of medicine, they might have bad reactions."
Topics: Health, US News