Liver Health Initiative

01/17/2023

11/21/2022

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, take a moment to say thanks for your amazing liver and all the wonderful things it does every moment of every day to keep you healthy and alive. From processing all of the food we eat so we have energy for our day to keeping our immune system in good working order, the liver performs over 500 functions essential to your well being. Thank you, liver! 😊

11/17/2022

Drinking Alcohol leads to 5 types of cancer:

Breast
Colon
Esophageal
Liver
Mouth & Throat

To decrease your risk of cancer, avoid drinking alcohol everyday and if you do drink, limit your intake to 1-2 drinks a day.

Small decisions everyday lead to a healthy body and life.

11/16/2022

Liver Health Initiative is proud to share this article written by our cofounder, Malki De Silva. Congratulations, Malki. 😀

https://www.contagionlive.com/view/recent-research-indicates-that-we-re-falling-short-on-hbv-elimination-targets

Organizations look at an agent-based model to assess the impact of vaccination, screening, and treatment on incidence and prevalence of HBV in Ontario, Canada.

11/15/2022

You’ve probably heard of Hepatitis A, B, and C: Did you know there is a Hepatitis D?

Hepatitis D is a form of hepatitis that is transmitted through the blood and a person can only be infected with the virus if they already have Hepatitis B.

Getting a vaccination for Hep B keeps you safe from getting Hep B and Hep D.

Your liver has over 500 important functions in your body and you can't live without it. Protect your liver, protect your life.

11/14/2022

We are excited to announce that Liver Health Initiative has earned the esteemed Gold Seal of Transparency from GuideStar & Candid! 😁

This distinguished accomplishment makes LHI stand out. Only 1% of the 1.8 million US nonprofits has earned this seal. It is a marker of LHI's organizational transparency which is highly regarded among funders.

We are proud to carry this seal and celebrate it with all our supporters. 🥳

11/14/2022

Did you know what you eat can cause liver cancer?

The Obesity Medicine Association recently met at the Overcoming Obesity conference. These experts made recommendations to help prevent obesity-related cancer and fatty liver:

1. Weight reduction

2. Nutritional diets such as the Mediterranean diet

3. Physical activity

Substitute some higher fat and higher sugar items in your day with your favorite fruits and vegetables.

Take a walk a few days a week to gently increase your physical activity. Ask a friend to join you and enjoy some good conversation.

Small steps each day can decrease your chance of developing preventable diseases like fatty liver and liver cancer. 😀

11/10/2022

Liver cancer is growing faster than any other cancer as a cause of cancer-related death in the United States.

Liver cancer is expected to jump ahead of breast cancer and colorectal cancer to enter into the top 3 causes of cancer death in the US.

The majority of liver cancer is PREVENTABLE.

You can do these things to significantly lower your risk of getting liver cancer:

Get vaccinated against Hepatitis B
Get tested and treated for Hepatitis C
Avoid heavy alcohol intake
Avoid obesity

All of those conditions cause inflammation in the liver that leads to liver cancer which has a low survival rate.

Take care of your body to prevent liver cancer.

11/09/2022

1 in 5 people is living with chronic liver disease and over 90% of these cases are preventable.

Don't be one of these people. Take action against liver disease.

**Get vaccinated for Hepatitis B.
**Get tested for Hepatitis C. There is treatment for cure.
**Eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly to prevent Fatty Liver Disease.

Simple things can save your life. Take good care of yourself. You're worth it.

11/08/2022

Could you have hepatitis?

67% of persons living with hepatitis B infection do not know they have the virus.

51% of persons living with hepatitis C infection do not know they have the virus.

All of these people are at risk of unknowingly passing the virus to their loved ones. They are also at risk of liver cirrhosis, liver failure, and death.

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services:

2.4 million people are estimated to be living with hepatitis C in the United States. The actual number may be as high as 4.7 million or as low as 2.5 million.

850,000 people in the U.S. are estimated to be living with hepatitis B. The actual number may be as high as 2.2 million or as low as 730,000.

Get tested. Know your status. Do it for your health and the health of your loved ones. ❤️

11/04/2022

What do Naomi Judd, Natalie Cole, and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler all have in common?

If you said, they're all singers, you're right. But did you also know each one of them had Hepatitis C and didn't know for several years before diagnosis?

It is estimated that 2.4 million people in the US are living with Hepatitis C and half of them don't know it. This puts them at risk of problems associated with Hepatitis C like liver failure from cirrhosis, liver cancer, and death. It also puts their sexual partner at risk of becoming infected.

Hepatitis C is preventable, and if you are infected it is treatable, and in most cases, curable.

If you are over 18, the CDC recommends you get tested for Hepatitis C. Do it for yourself and those you love.

11/03/2022

Are you one of the approximately 1 in 4 people who has what's known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)?

In NAFLD the liver becomes infiltrated with fat cells and this can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver failure.

Conditions that are associated with NAFLD like diabetes and obesity increase your risk, so choose healthy behaviors like a diet low in saturated fat and sugar that can reduce your risk.

There are no symptoms until the disease has progressed and some people even develop liver failure and need a liver transplantation.

Talk to your doctor about your personal risk of NAFLD. Knowledge is power.