Dietary considerations for chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis

  1, protein supply Adequate amount of high-quality protein can improve muscle immune function, increase liver glycogen storage, which is conducive to the repair of liver cells and liver function recovery. As the increase of protein in the diet will increase the blood ammonia, so we should eat more protein foods with low ammonia production, such as milk. Soy protein mixed with animal protein can better play its complementary role and reduce the source of ammonia.  2, fat The fat in the diet should not be excessively restricted, so as not to affect the muscle heat supply and reduce appetite, but should avoid greasy food, especially the jaundice has not yet subsided to pay attention to. Hepatitis patients with too much fat supply will appear steatorrhea, while too little supply will affect appetite and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, vegetable oil is appropriate.  3, carbohydrates carbohydrate intake than the body needs, will be converted into fat storage in the body, causing obesity, hyperlipidemia, fatty liver and other complications. The supply of carbohydrates should account for 60% to 65% of the total caloric energy, i.e. about 350 grams of staple food a day, with fresh vegetables and fruits.  4.Vitamins When liver disease is serious, vitamin C, B1, B2 and other deficiencies are caused by vitamin absorption disorders. Increasing the supply of vitamins is beneficial to the repair of liver cells, enhancing detoxification function and improving the immunity of the body. The combined use of vitamins C, E and K in the treatment of hepatitis can improve symptoms and promote better liver function. Therefore, hepatitis patients can use vitamin-rich foods, such as green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, fruits, etc.  Hepatitis patients’ dietary contraindications: 1, avoid drinking a lot of alcohol Alcohol is a drug for the liver. Patients with acute hepatitis latent period, due to a large number of alcohol, can suddenly occur acute liver failure; chronic hepatitis patients a large number of alcohol can cause chronic hepatitis activity, stimulating jaundice.  Although the alcohol content of beer is only 4-12%, more than 90% of it has to be metabolized and detoxified by the liver. Ethanol and acetic acid metabolism produces aldehyde, which is directly toxic to liver cells, and also affects the liver’s metabolism and detoxification of proteins, glycogen, lipids, bilirubin, hormones, drugs and other functions. In long-term alcoholics, the toxicity of ethanol and acetaldehyde often affects the liver, leading to serious liver injury and alcoholic liver sclerosis, and can cause degeneration and necrosis of liver cells.  Recovering hepatitis, chronic hepatitis and other patients, liver function has been damaged, and it takes more than six months for the liver to fully recover to normal. Drinking beer can reduce the activity of various enzymes that metabolize ethanol and reduce the detoxification function of the liver. Therefore, even if a small amount of alcohol is consumed, the liver, which is already substantially damaged, will be hit again, which will lead to a recurrence and aggravation of the disease. Therefore, people whose liver function has returned to normal should drink less or no beer within six months.  So patients with liver disease, alcohol is the basic requirement for self-healing.  2, avoid overeating The liver is an important metabolic and detoxification organ of the body, excessive diet often causes indigestion, increasing the burden on the liver. Long-term full meals plus habitual constipation of liver disease patients, more likely to induce early cirrhosis. Because the excess food into feces, in the intestinal tract after prolonged retention time, harmful substances produced more and not timely excretion and accumulation, reabsorption by the large intestine, long-term will exceed the detoxification capacity of the liver, prompting the liver from quantitative to qualitative changes and then hard change.  Excess toxins can also pass through the blood-brain barrier, damaging the central nervous system, when the liver does not function well, it becomes an important cause of liver coma, liver-brain syndrome.  3, eat less greasy fried products Hepatitis patients who eat more greasy fried high-fat food, can cause digestive function is weakened, excess fat deposited in the liver, the formation of fatty liver, can cause liver malfunction. Such as long-term eating greasy fried food, weight gain, obesity, coupled with fried broken fat chain can produce carcinogenic chemicals, leading to cirrhosis of the liver, and even to cancer transition.  4, should not eat a lot of sugar Some patients heard that the diet of hepatitis is inseparable from the high sugar, hepatitis treatment often need to lose glucose, so that a lot of sugar is beneficial to the treatment of hepatitis.  This is not only not good for hepatitis patients, but also harmful. Because too much glucose in the body can be transformed into propyl phosphate, and synthesize low-density lipids in the liver, it can slow down the blood flow and increase blood viscosity, so that the heart, brain, liver and kidney to reduce the use of oxygen and cause organic lesions.  In addition, hepatitis patients due to more rest, physical activity reduced, excess supplementation, fat deposition in the body, body fat, if a large number of supplementation of sugar nutrition, it will promote the increase of fatty substances in the body, and even cause hyperlipidemia and fatty liver, can make the original hepatitis lesions aggravated. So hepatitis patients, whether early, chronic or recovery period should not eat a lot of sugar.