Men over this age should protect their livers more than their kidneys

As a man, once you pass the age of thirty, your health often declines, such as gaining weight, and losing your physical strength, energy, and sexual function. At this time, what should you do for your health? Some people often think of nourishing the kidneys first. In fact, this is true, just like the saying: "Picking sesame seeds and throwing away watermelons."

According to traditional Chinese medicine, the kidney is the foundation of the body. It is understandable for elderly men with weak kidneys to take proper kidney supplements, but middle-aged men do not need to join in the fun. The liver is different. It is responsible for venting and is smooth. If the liver qi is not comfortable, the circulation of qi and blood in the human body will be disordered, causing digestive disorders, high blood pressure and other diseases. At the same time, middle-aged men are at the "cusp" of their careers and families. They are under great psychological pressure and mental depression, which can easily cause symptoms such as liver depression, irritability, irritability, anxiety, and loss of appetite. In addition, men have many social activities, are addicted to smoking and drinking, and the hepatitis virus is rampant, which often harms the liver. Liver diseases such as "fatty liver" and "viral hepatitis" will secretly target you. Modern medicine places more emphasis on the relationship between the liver and health and even life. Medical experts call the liver a "chemical factory" in the human body. The nutrients we eat must be metabolized by it and converted into biologically active proteins, lipids and glycogen to meet the needs of organs throughout the body. If there is a problem with the liver, it will affect the whole body and even threaten life.

So, how to protect yourself specifically? Health experts give you two "golden ideas":

"Golden Idea" 1: Diet to protect liver

There are two main points to dietary liver protection: first, choose foods that provide sufficient nutrients to meet the liver's physiological needs; second, pay attention to food hygiene to prevent bacteria and viruses from invading the liver.

Nutritionists tell us that the five major nutrients needed by the human body, namely protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and mineral elements, are also necessary for the liver. However, the liver requires more protein, carbohydrates and vitamins, and excessive fat may cause fatty liver, so they must be properly limited. For this reason, it is recommended that you incorporate the following details into your daily diet:

Milk, eggs, fish, lean meat, soy products and other foods should be rotated in daily meals to provide sufficient high-quality protein for the liver.

Eat appropriate amounts of easily digestible monosaccharides and disaccharides such as glucose, sucrose, honey, and fruit juice to increase liver glycogen reserves.

Yeast is rich in B vitamins and should not be neglected.

Hawthorn contains ursolic acid, which can reduce the deposition of animal fat in the blood vessel wall and has a certain effect in preventing or alleviating arteriosclerosis. If you usually eat some fresh hawthorn, soak it in water with dried hawthorn, or add hawthorn to stewed meat, it can not only add flavor but also help digestion.

Green tea clears away heat and detoxifies, helps digestion and relieves greasiness; chrysanthemum soothes the liver and improves eyesight; roses soothe the liver and relieve depression. Drinking this kind of tea regularly is good for protecting the liver.

Wolfberry nourishes the liver and kidneys, improves the liver and improves eyesight, and can be used to make tea, stew soup, or porridge.

Eat nuts such as walnut kernels and pistachios regularly to soothe the liver and regulate qi, and relieve anxiety.

People who have symptoms of liver deficiency such as yellow complexion and poor sleep may eat livestock and poultry livers once a week to achieve the effect of "nourishing the liver with the liver".

Avoid alcohol and all spicy and irritating foods. Avoid fried and dry foods.

Remove food pollution, including pesticide residues in vegetables, fruits and melons; certain food additives, such as flour whitening agents and preservatives; smoked and roasted food and spoiled food, such as rotten ginger, reddish Yuanxiao, sprouted potatoes, etc. Countermeasures: Try to buy vegetables with light pesticide pollution or no pesticides, and wash them with clean water more often. Peel fruits and melons before eating. Eat less or no food with additives, such as canned food. Stay away from smoked and spoiled food.

Drink more boiled water. The boiled water should be kept fresh, 3 to 4 times a day, 1 small bowl each time. Boiled water can increase the circulating blood volume, enhance the vitality of liver cells, and help eliminate metabolic waste, thus protecting the liver.

"Golden Idea" 2: Protect your liver through sleep

When sleeping, the human body is in a lying position, and the liver can enjoy more blood perfusion. In addition, the body is in a resting state, so the burden on the liver is the lightest. Therefore, high-quality sleep has a significant effect on liver protection. On the contrary, poor sleep quality, especially sleep disorders, can easily affect liver function. Medical experts have noticed that a sleep disorder called sleep apnea syndrome can cause liver damage.

The syndrome refers to shortness of breath during sleep caused by stenosis of the glossopharynx and uvula blocking the airway. In severe cases, the duration of apnea can be as long as one and a half minutes. Medical data show that about 32% of people with severe sleep apnea have abnormal liver function, and liver damage is proportional to the severity of apnea. Further research has found that this liver damage is related to hypoxia and insulin resistance caused by sleep apnea.

It is not difficult to understand that to improve the quality of sleep, the first thing is to actively treat sleep disorders, such as insomnia, sleep apnea syndrome, etc. Secondly, do not engage in too much brain-consuming work at night, and do not stay up late. The reason why some people have bad livers is that they often stay up late and go to bed late. Chinese medicine believes that there are two most important hours of sleep in a day, one is noon (11 am to 1 pm), and the other is midnight (11 pm to 1 am). These four hours are also the time for bone marrow hematopoiesis, and the most blood flows through the liver, which is conducive to liver function repair. In other words, you have to grasp the nap and night sleep, especially the night sleep. It is best to go to bed before 10 pm and ensure that you fall asleep around 11 pm to pave the way for liver function repair.