Food abstinence for people with chronic hepatitis

Those of you who have been diagnosed with hepatitis may be asked by a doctor to be careful in choosing foods. The reason is, certain foods and drinks can damage liver function and exacerbate hepatitis. So, what are the dietary restrictions for people with hepatitis?

Food abstinence for people with hepatitis

In fact, there are no specific dietary guidelines for hepatitis patients. However, the foods and drinks below are recommended to be avoided temporarily. This aims to prevent the risk of further liver damage from hepatitis.

The following is a list of dietary and beverage restrictions that people with hepatitis need to pay attention to.

1. Alcohol

Alcohol is one type of drink that is included in the list of dietary restrictions for people with hepatitis. Why is that?

Alcohol has a bad effect on liver health, both those with hepatitis and other liver diseases. This is because alcohol and alcohol can accelerate the rate of liver damage in hepatitis C patients.

In fact, alcohol consumption also inhibits the function of antiviral drugs. That is why patients with hepatitis and other liver diseases are strongly advised to avoid alcohol.

In addition, alcoholic drinks, such as beer, are also high in calories. If you are overweight, quitting alcohol can also help reduce your calorie intake.

It should also be noted that the alcohol here is not only in the form of liquor. Some over-the-counter pain medications such as cough syrups also contain alcohol.

2. Salty foods

Apart from alcohol, salty foods with a high salt content also include dietary restrictions for people with hepatitis.

You see, a liver that has been damaged by hepatitis usually can't digest salt (sodium) properly. Sodium levels that are too high in the body can increase blood pressure. This condition can later increase the risk of fatty liver.

This is also proven through research from Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Experts in the study tried a high-salt diet in chicken rats and analyzed chicken embryos that had been exposed to a salty environment.

The result, excessive sodium levels affect changes in the animal's liver, such as increased cell death which increases the risk of fibrosis. Even so, experts still need to further investigate whether the effect is the same on the human body.

Even so, you still need to read nutrition labels and reduce your intake of high-salt processed foods, such as canned foods, to avoid further liver damage.

3. Foods high in saturated fat

If you have hepatitis, that doesn't mean you have to avoid fat intake. The reason is, hepatitis can suddenly lose weight. Therefore, it is important to consume healthy fats within reasonable limits in order to maintain a balanced body weight.

However, you should not eat fat just as much. This is because other dietary restrictions for people with hepatitis are foods high in saturated fat, such as:

butter,
milk, and
all animal products.

When the body gets too much saturated fat intake, the liver will work harder to digest fat. If not digested properly, saturated fat can cause inflammation which can later develop cirrhosis of the liver.

Not only that, saturated fat can also increase bad cholesterol levels and lower good cholesterol. As a result, the risk of other liver diseases, such as fatty liver also increases.

4. Raw shellfish

Most cases of acute viral hepatitis infection are caused by ingestion of contaminated raw shellfish. Shellfish are often collected from water contaminated with waste and can contain microbial pathogens in seawater.

Hepatitis B patients need to be careful with raw shellfish. This dietary abstinence for people with hepatitis has the potential to contain a microbe called Vibrio vulnificus.

These healthy microbes can actually enter the bloodstream through open wounds, or the digestive tract, which can cause sepsis. This condition turns out to be dangerous for patients with immune system disorders or with liver damage due to infections, such as viral hepatitis.

In fact, infections from these microbes have a high mortality rate of 50% in patients with liver disease. Meanwhile, this figure increases to 80 to 200 times the risk of liver disease patients.

Therefore, hepatitis patients may be asked by the doctor not to eat raw foods such as shellfish while hepatitis treatment is taking place.

5. Too much iron

Those of you who like to eat foods with high iron may need to be vigilant. The development of hepatitis C can occur as a result of accelerated hepatic iron uptake. This condition can occur due to the production of free radicals stimulated by iron.

That is why your doctor may recommend a low iron diet for hepatitis patients. This aims to reduce the potential for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Apart from foods high in iron, you may also be asked to avoid iron supplements for a while. Always discuss with your doctor regarding dietary restrictions for people with hepatitis so you don't take a wrong step.

6. Excessive protein intake

Adequate protein intake is essential to build muscle mass and aid in the healing process. However, consuming too much high protein food can actually be a taboo for people with hepatitis.

Every time you eat red meat, the digestive system, including the liver, will work harder to process most of the protein.

Meanwhile, hepatitis causes liver function not to be as good as in general, so too much protein can actually be toxic to the body. The protein left behind can cause ammonia to clot in the body which can lead to a number of complications, such as:

decreased brain function,
cirrhosis of the liver, or
buildup of fluid in the stomach (ascites).

Therefore, your doctor may recommend that you limit your protein intake. Discuss with a nutritionist regarding a low protein diet when experiencing hepatitis.

7. Sweet foods

It is no secret that too much sugar intake is not good for health, including liver function. This dietary abstinence for people with hepatitis usually contains simple carbohydrates that can increase blood sugar.

If your blood sugar is too high, of course the risk of diabetes will increase and can worsen liver damage due to hepatitis. You can eat sweet foods. However, you need to limit foods with added sugars, such as:

various pastries,
white bread,
pudding, or
ice cream.

You can replace these foods with foods that contain natural sugars and fibrous carbohydrates, such as strawberries, oranges, or apples. Dietary fiber at least slows down the absorption of blood glucose in the body. This can help balance blood sugar.

The seven food lists above are indeed taboo for patients with liver disease, including those with hepatitis. Always discuss with a doctor or nutritionist regarding the diet that needs to be followed when experiencing certain diseases.