Nourish your liver, enrich your life: Simple ways to keep your liver in good shape Premium

World Liver Day 2025 focuses on 'Food is Medicine', emphasizing nutrition's role in preventing and reversing liver disease.

Every year on April 19, World Liver Day is observed globally, to raise awareness about the importance of liver health. This year, the theme ‘Food is Medicine’ shines a spotlight on how nutrition plays a powerful role in preventing, and even reversing liver disease.

The liver is a hardworking organ that performs more than 500 essential functions—ranging from filtering toxins and aiding digestion, to storing nutrients and regulating blood sugar. Despite its importance, it often doesn’t receive the care it deserves. By the time symptoms of liver disease appear, damage is often already advanced.

Globally, more than 1.5 billion people live with chronic liver disease, and nearly two million lives are lost each year due to liver-related conditions. The most important fact? Over 90% of liver diseases are preventable with healthy lifestyle changes.

Cases of liver disease are rising rapidly in India. One in every five adults is estimated to have some form of liver dysfunction—most commonly fatty liver disease, now known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Studies show a large number of people diagnosed with liver disease have never consumed alcohol, pointing to poor diet, obesity, diabetes, and a sedentary lifestyle as key causes.

Worryingly, many of these liver conditions develop quietly and remain undetected until irreversible damage has occurred. That is why public awareness and prevention through lifestyle changes are critical.

The good news is yes, liver damage can be reversed. The liver has an amazing ability to heal. Losing even 5–10% of one’s body weight, particularly abdominal fat, can significantly reduce liver fat, lower inflammation, and even reverse early-stage damage.

Diet plays a major role in this healing process. You don’t need an imported or complicated diet plan—just a return to traditional Indian meals prepared with mindfulness.