By Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D
Cirrhosis of the liver can develop from excess alcohol consumption, other substance-use disorders, hepatitis, organic solvent exposure or from something as common as fatty liver disease, which the American Liver Foundation says affects 80 to 100 million Americans. Whatever the cause, over time, cirrhosis can trigger a wide range of potentially life-altering symptoms, including easy bruising, internal bleeding and swelling of the legs and abdomen. It can also cause hepatic encephalopathy (HE), which leads to memory and cognition problems as a result of the build-up of toxins that the liver can no longer filter out of the bloodstream.
Unfortunately, around half of folks with cirrhosis go undiagnosed, and their struggles with memory and concentration are often misattributed to Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia. A new 10-year study of almost 70,000 veterans published in the American Journal of Medicine found that up to 13% of diagnoses for dementia should be for undiagnosed cirrhosis. The good news? If caught early, HE is reversable with medications -- lactulose, a synthetic sugar, and certain antibiotics -- and, research shows, with coffee!
So, if you are told you may have dementia, ask for a simple Fibrosis-4 Index test to check your liver enzyme levels and your platelet count, which can signal liver disease. And to learn how to avoid or reverse fatty liver disease, check out the iHerb.com blog "7 Natural Approaches to Boosting Liver Health" and Dr. Mike's book "The Great Age Reboot." And to protect your cognition, follow the lifestyle do-overs outlined in the free LongevityPlaybook.com newsletter.
Dr. Mike Roizen is the founder of www.longevityplaybook.com, and Dr. Mehmet Oz is global advisor to www.iHerb.com, the world's leading online health store. Roizen and Oz are chief wellness officer emeritus at Cleveland Clinic and professor emeritus at Columbia University, respectively. Together they have written 11 New York Times bestsellers (four No. 1's).
(c)2024 Michael Roizen, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
(c) 2024 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
