The liver is the largest internal organ in the human body and one of the few organs capable of regenerating itself. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it performs several essential functions, including filtering blood, storing energy and producing bile to aid digestion.
Because the liver works quietly behind the scenes, it is often easy to overlook the everyday habits that can gradually damage it. In an Instagram video shared on July 1, California-based gastroenterologist Dr Saurabh Sethi, who trained at AIIMS, Harvard and Stanford, highlighted three common habits that may increase the risk of liver damage, even among younger adults.
3 habits that may damage your liver
1. Daily alcohol consumption
Many people believe that having one alcoholic drink a day, particularly a glass of red wine, is harmless or even good for health. Dr Sethi says that assumption is not supported by evidence when it comes to liver health.
“There is no liver-safe threshold for alcohol – every drink adds metabolic burden your liver must process, and over the years that damage quietly accumulates into something irreversible,” he explained.
According to the gastroenterologist, imaging studies show that up to 40 per cent of people who consume alcohol in moderate amounts already display changes linked to fatty liver disease.
2. Eating ultra-processed foods every day
Dr Sethi also pointed to the growing dependence on ultra-processed foods as another major concern for liver health.
He explained that diets high in excess fructose, refined carbohydrates and saturated fats can contribute to fatty liver disease, a condition he says is becoming increasingly common among younger adults.
“Excess fructose, refined carbs, and saturated fats drive fatty liver disease – and I am seeing it in people in their 20s and 30s at a rate that would have been unthinkable a decade ago.”
According to Dr Sethi, cases of fatty liver disease among children and young adults have risen by around 40 per cent since the early 2000s, and he believes the widespread consumption of ultra-processed foods has played a significant role.
3. Chronic stress and poor sleep
The third habit Dr Sethi highlighted was living with chronic stress while consistently getting inadequate sleep.
He said many people fail to associate these lifestyle factors with liver health, even though they can have a significant impact.
“Most people never connect these two to liver damage – but cortisol dysregulation drives visceral fat accumulation, and visceral fat is one of the most well-established drivers of fatty liver disease we know of,” he said.
He further added, “Fatty liver patients show 65 per cent higher cortisol levels than healthy controls – and that elevation tracks directly with disease severity.”
According to Dr Sethi, managing stress effectively and prioritising quality sleep are important lifestyle measures that can help support long-term liver health.
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