Vitamins and Your Liver





		Living with Hepatitis
			Eating Well
			The Key to a Healthy Diet
			What You Should Drink and How Much
			Vitamins and Your Liver
			Overcoming Obstacles to Good Nutrition
			Taking Steps to Slow Disease Progression
			Coping with Fatigue

Vitamins and Your Liver

Your liver helps digest important vitamins stored in fat. Special acids called bile acids, which are made by the liver, are necessary for you to absorb vitamins A, D, and E. Your body uses each of these vitamins every day. Your liver stores other important vitamins, such as vitamin B12, and releases them as you need them.

Following the principles of the food guide pyramid will help to ensure that you are meeting your body's vitamin needs. By choosing foods carefully, you may not need a vitamin or mineral supplement. However, if you are having problems with eating, you may take a vitamin and mineral supplement that provides no more than 1 to 2 times the Recommended Dietary Allowances. But before you start, discuss vitamins with your doctor.

Vitamin Supplements and Nutritional Therapies

Excess vitamin A is very toxic to the liver, and excess amounts of some other vitamins may be a source of stress to your liver. Therefore, avoid using mega-vitamin supplements, especially if they contain vitamins A and D.

So-called nutritional therapies (eg, "natural" therapies and herbal remedies) may damage your liver. Plants of the Senecio, Crotalaria, and Heliotopium families, plus chaparral, germander, comfrey, mistletoe, skullcap, margosa oil, mate tea, Gordolobo yerba tea, pennyroyal, and Jin Blu are all toxic to the liver.

Always check with your doctor before taking over-the-counter supplements, vitamins, or nutritional therapies.