People with liver disease should consume less sugar.

In the 1960s and 1970s, due to the low standard of living, once diagnosed with acute or chronic liver diseases, including acute and chronic viral hepatitis and cirrhosis, the only health supplement available for these patients was 2 jin (1 kg) of white sugar per month. This inadvertently led some people to form the belief that "sugar can protect the liver." Patients with liver disease should consume less sugar.

Currently, this view is still prevalent among some middle-aged and elderly people. In fact, hepatitis does not require a large intake of sugar, and in some cases, it is necessary to limit sugar intake. This is because a decrease in glucose tolerance is common during liver disease, and excessive sugar consumption can easily lead to high blood sugar, and even cause hepatic diabetes.

Caramel Pudding

The incidence of decreased glucose tolerance and hepatic diabetes in patients with liver disease is not low. Foreign reports indicate that approximately 90% of cirrhosis patients and 80% of chronic hepatitis patients have abnormal glucose tolerance. About 30%-40% of patients with chronic liver disease develop diabetes, and 30% of acute hepatitis patients also show a decrease in glucose tolerance.

The disturbance in sugar metabolism caused by liver disease is mainly related to liver cell damage. Liver cell damage can lead to reduced activity of enzymes related to sugar metabolism and insulin resistance, resulting in decreased sugar conversion and utilization, which leads to elevated blood sugar. If it persists, it can develop into hepatic diabetes.

Therefore, patients with liver disease should strengthen blood sugar monitoring on the basis of controlling the primary disease. For those who already have elevated blood sugar or decreased glucose tolerance, it is necessary to limit sugar intake, especially the intake of white sugar, fruit sugar, sweet pastries, and sweet beverages.