Hydration: Your Liver Will Thank You

There’s a “detox” craze taking the world by storm right now (see our thoughts on that here). But what some don’t realize is that they already have some powerful organs that detox their body by nature. One of those super organs is the liver. And it may or may not surprise you to hear that keeping it well hydrated also keeps it well maintained.

THE LOW-DOWN ON LIVER FUNCTION

Your liver works overtime constantly to make sure your body is being properly cleaned and filtered. Its main job is filtering the blood that comes from your digestive tract so it can then travel to the rest of the body. In addition, the liver detoxifies chemicals and metabolizes drugs. Through this filtering, the liver secretes bile for waste. Your liver is sort of a “fat factory,” too, breaking the fat down and helping regulate cholesterol. Lastly, the liver is responsible for making important proteins that aid blood clotting and other functions.

The most important takeaway is knowing that anything you ingest—on purpose or not—is filtered through the liver. That includes food, alcohol, medicine and other toxins. They’re first digested and then absorbed into the blood, where they’re sent to the liver to be cleaned. There’s no need for detox teas or shakes…your liver has got you covered.

WATER & YOUR LIVER

Since over half of our bodies are made up of water, it’s not shocking that we need to replenish it with water to maintain healthy bodily function. That goes double for your liver! When you become dehydrated, your liver’s function decreases because it no longer has sufficient water to help flush waste from the body. Also, water makes up most of your blood. Hydration makes it easier for your blood to pass through the liver and thus, be filtered. Basically, the less hydrated you are, the less efficient your liver is at filtering out toxins like alcohol or chemicals.  

Making sure to drink your water after waking up, before eating a meal, before and after physical activity and before bed can ensure your liver has what it needs to function properly.

MAKE IT PRIMO

When it comes to hydration, make sure you’re doing it healthily. That means avoiding tap water at all costs! Tap water can often be riddled with heavy metals, like lead and mercury, harmful bacteria, trace pharmaceuticals and more. And while your liver does a bang-up job filtering these toxins from your blood, it’s still possible that these toxins can be absorbed through your stomach lining. Yikes!

The best option is purified water, like Primo®. Primo’s 5-Step Reverse Osmosis purification process eliminates harmful microorganisms, heavy metals, trace pharmaceuticals and more, giving you better, safer water with every sip. At Primo, one of our goals is kickstarting healthy habits from the ground up. What better way to do that than offering awesome water for all? Not to mention, your liver will thank you for choosing Primo. Find a Primo location near you today.