Patients with liver disease have poor appetite and poor digestion are the most common clinical symptoms.
Poor appetite, nausea, and bloating in patients with liver disease are common gastrointestinal symptoms and are often early symptoms.
So, what causes this?
1. The detoxification ability of the liver decreases.
When the liver is diseased, its ability to process and utilize nutrients decreases, and its ability to excrete harmful substances (waste products, poisons) also decreases, and these harmful substances act on the stomach and intestines, causing a decrease in appetite.
2. Gastrointestinal mucosa congestion, edema.
Congestion, congestion, and weakened movement in the gastrointestinal tract during liver disease are also important reasons for loss of appetite. Patients with cirrhosis of the liver with lesions such as portal hypertension will have portal hypertensive gastropathy. The patient's gastrointestinal mucosa is obstructive congestion and edema, which reduces the digestion and absorption function of the gastrointestinal tract.
3. Bile secretion disorders.
Bile is secreted by liver cells, through the bile ducts into the intestine, the main role is to digest fat, liver disease when the bile secretion is reduced, affecting the digestion and absorption of diet into the stomach, especially greasy food is difficult to decompose, easy to appear greasy feeling, sometimes even diarrhea.
4. Intestinal absorption dysfunction.
When the liver disease is not well absorbed by the intestine, more protein is ingested, and it will be fermented by bacteria in the intestine, producing a large amount of gas, causing bloating, and further aggravating the loss of appetite.
5. Liver synthesis dysfunction.
Less intake, digestive and absorption efficacy disorders, nutrient intake decreased, and hypermetabolism, systemic consumption increased, at the same time liver cell function decreased in liver disease, many human needs of the substance can not be well metabolic absorption, the ability to manufacture and store sugar is reduced, so that the energy is insufficient, so that patients feel powerless, further aggravate the loss of appetite.
6. The patient's psychological disorders.
Due to the psychological, life and economic pressures of patients with liver disease, mental difficulties lead to decreased appetite. Or afraid to eat for fear that certain foods will worsen their condition.
What can be done to improve loss of appetite?
(1) Try to choose foods that can increase appetite, help digestion, strengthen the spleen and stomach, such as hawthorn, lotus flour, seasonal fruits and fresh vegetables such as lion's head mushrooms, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, lettuce, bean sprouts, lentils, etc.
(2) According to the different seasons, choose some fresh, vitamin-rich, delicious and easy-to-digest foods, such as young shoots in early spring, watermelon in hot summer, mushrooms in late autumn, live shrimp in cold winter, etc.
(3) For patients who are in the advanced stage of liver disease and have poor appetite, some protein-based protective foods such as pork liver, beef, pork, chicken, milk, soy products, fresh fruits and green leafy vegetables can be selected; for patients whose condition is in the recovery period and their appetite has improved, they can eat carbohydrate-based foods, such as rice noodles, miscellaneous grains, etc. as appropriate. However, do not overeat, so as not to increase weight and induce fatty liver.
(4) Careful cooking. Meals with good color, aroma and taste can stimulate the dietary center of the brain and enhance appetite. People with extremely poor appetite should eat less and eat more meals, so as not to overeat and increase the burden on the stomach and intestines.
(5) Avoid foods that can cause flatulence, such as onions, leeks, sweet potatoes, potatoes, etc. Avoid greasy and raw and cold products.
Dietary details to be aware of:
1, diet is moderate
For patients with chronic liver disease, the diet should be hot and cold, bitter and bitter, and sweet, that is, the sexual taste of food can be appropriately controlled, not too much. The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classics have the view that "the taste is too sour, the liver qi is jin, the temper is absolute; the taste is too salty, the bones are tired, the muscles are short, and the heart is depressed; the taste is too sweet, the heart is full of breath, the color is black, and the kidney qi is not balanced; the taste is too bitter, the temper is not thick, the stomach qi is thick; the taste is too hard, the muscles and veins are depressed, and the spirit is determined."
2. Nutritional balance
The energy requirements of patients with cirrhosis are 1.3 times that of their basal metabolic rate, and due to the disease, their liver glycogen synthesis and reserves are reduced. Therefore, patients with cirrhosis need to eat high-calorie and high-protein diets, and as much protein as possible from plants and dairy products rather than from meat and fish, including patients with hepatic encephalopathy can also tolerate and benefit from a normal protein diet.
The traditional Chinese dietary structure is mainly plant-based foods, supplemented by animal foods, and the recipes are broad, and most of them do not do fine processing, which is very suitable for patients with cirrhosis. Therefore, patients with cirrhosis can eat more cereals, vegetables, fruits, etc. as the main diet to ensure that adults consume 100 to 120 grams of protein per day. Nutritional intake is guaranteed, hypoproteinemia is improved, and ascites can be controlled.
3. Eat a light diet
People with cirrhosis should eat light and easily digestible foods. The so-called light diet refers to less oil, less sugar, less salt, no heavy taste, and the correct cooking method. Patients with cirrhosis are prone to swelling of both lower extremities and ascites and are often required to eat a low-salt diet. Note that a low-salt diet is not a salt-free diet, but in fact, too low salt intake, coupled with the action of diuretics, often leads to hyponatremia in patients with cirrhosis, which induces hepatic encephalopathy.
There are not many taboos in the choice of ingredients, but it is not recommended to eat pickled and not fresh foods. Normal salt content, delicious meals, patients are willing to eat, there will be psychological satisfaction to help the disease get better.
4. Eat less and eat more meals
The Neijing says, "Eat and drink by yourself, and your stomach and intestines will hurt." Patients with chronic liver disease should not be overly full at each meal, because the spleen has been trapped, the transportation is weak, and it is still difficult to be competent according to the original amount, so as to reach the original food amount of seven or eight.
Patients with cirrhosis are prone to hypoglycemia due to low liver function and poor energy reserves in the body. In turn, hypoglycemia progresses to harm liver function. In order to avoid the occurrence of hypoglycemia as much as possible, patients with cirrhosis should try to avoid fasting for a long time, and the interval between daytime fasting should not exceed 3-6 hours. Due to the limited digestive capacity, each meal should not be eaten too full, and it is advisable to be 7-8 points full.
Therefore, patients with cirrhosis should first change their dietary habits, strive for a small number of meals, 4-6 meals a day, including meals before going to bed. Meals before bedtime should become the norm, and carbohydrates are the mainstay, which can both alleviate hypoglycemia that occurs in the early morning of the patient and make it easier to correct hypoproteinemia.
5, the diet is soft and rotten
For patients with cirrhosis, with esophageal veins and gastric varices, it should be noted that too rough food is easy to damage the varicose gastrointestinal veins when passing through the esophagus, resulting in hematemesis and black stools that are life-threatening. It is recommended that the food is mainly soft and rotten, and it is also easy to digest and absorb.
6. Smooth stools
Patients with cirrhosis should keep their stools unobstructed. Stool can not be discharged on time, trapped in the intestine of the feces will lead to intestinal relaxation, the production of various toxins, exhaust gases, is absorbed into the liver tissue, causing liver damage. Constipation can aggravate bloating, induce hepatic encephalopathy and even upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Patients with cirrhosis of the liver can drink more yogurt, and oral lactulose can ensure that patients have smooth stools while improving patients' tolerance to high-protein diets.