Can Stress Cause Elevated Liver Enzymes? What To Know?


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Most people are more prone to improve their skin tone or concentrate on their weight management. As per my research, very few people pay attention to their liver health, which performs more than 500 functions to promote a healthy lifestyle. It helps to synthesize all the nutrients that are required for the body and even elevates healthy bodily function.

Therefore, it is essential to monitor your liver’s working to reduce enzyme production due to stress. Before that, let’s understand the cause of high live enzymes in the body for better management of your emotional stress and anxiety.

What Does High Liver Enzymes Mean In Your Body?

Now, the question may have arisen in your mind; What does an elevated liver enzyme in your body mean? Well, it is often described as the production of liver proteins that are responsible for various chemical reactions. The overproduction of enzymes may lead to inflammation or damage to the liver’s cells, which may cause injury.

What Does High Liver Enzymes Mean In Your Body

Some of the common enzymes include alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate transaminase (AST), and gamma-glutamyl transaminase (GGT). These enzymes help to get rid of blood clotting, break down the food, and fight against toxins and infections. Besides promoting such bodily functions, it may also cause some serious health issues if the production becomes high.

Does Stress Cause Elevated Liver Enzymes?

Stress and even anxiety are not only mental statuses that promote a panic situation of giving you tension. It is much more than this because it can affect your bodily functions, which include your life’s dysfunction. So, according to my observation, stress can cause elevated liver enzymes, which reduces the flood flow.

Being under stress can elevate cholesterol levels, which can contribute to damaging your liver’s cells. During the period of stress and anxiety, the natural killer cells (NKT) tend to expand throughout your organ and worsen the condition. Therefore, it is essential to identify the symptoms and then take the required action to reduce stress to avoid high liver enzyme production.

What Are The Symptoms Of High Lever Enzymes?

Till now, you might have understood that stress can be a contributor to elevated enzymes in the liver. But how can you identify whether you are suffering from high protein in the liver? According to my studies and experience, here are the symptoms that can help you identify and get rid of high enzyme production caused by stress.

  • A person may experience crumbs or extreme pain in the stomach.
  • You may get tired too soon in between your work.
  • Additionally, you may also experience nausea and vomiting more frequently.
  • Experiencing itchiness and yellowing of your skin and eyes are also symptoms of elevated liver enzymes.
  • Moreover, some people may also feel like skipping their meals and have light-colored stools.

As per my studies, these symptoms can be caused due to various reasons that can be elevated due to stress. So, I have provided the factors that can grow the liver protein into excessive amounts that you can control by using various methods.

Factors That Can Cause Elevated Liver Enzymes

Here, you need to understand that it is not the direct culprit that causes the dysfunction of your liver. As per my experience, there are various factors behind the overproduction of liver enzymes that I have discussed below.

  • As we have mentioned earlier, stress can increase the cholesterol level, which tends to damage the liver cells.
  • My studies have also found that individuals with hepatitis C experience fatigue often during stress periods.
  • In addition, patients who have gone through liver transplants may experience mood swings and anxiety due to stress, which may affect their liver functioning.
  • I have also experienced significant inflammation of my muscles due to elevated enzymes.
  • It may also flare up the side effects of various medications.
  • According to my studies, elevated liver enzymes due to stress can also promote diseases like celiac, cirrhosis, and even fatty liver disease.

In some cases, the high liver enzymes may also promote the persistent condition of hepatitis B. Therefore, it is essential to treat them as soon as possible while limiting your stress condition. In this regard, I have provided effective treatment procedures that you can check out in the next section.

How Do You Treat Elevated Liver Enzymes Caused By Emotional Stress?

According to the studies I have conducted, normalizing the enzyme level is not an easy task. But, it is possible by changing your diet and doing a bit more exercise till you sweat. Below, I have mentioned some of the methods that you can implement to decrease your enzyme level in the body.

First of all, you need to learn stress management to get rid of cholesterol levels, which potentially contribute to enzyme production. You can consider having mental therapy by consulting a professional physiatrist and taking a break from your work.

Second, you must indulge yourself in physical activities like doing intense exercise or playing any game. It may help you improve your blood circulation and metabolic rate, which ultimately reduces the risk of excessive liver enzyme production.

Reduce your consumption of excessive meat from your diet and include more vegetables to maintain your physical and even mental fitness. Including leafy greens and crunchy vegetables can ease your digestive process and make you feel light.

Last, avoid the consumption of alcohol, which can potentially damage your liver cells. In worse conditions, it can promote the disease like cancer, which is incurable.

Final Words

Being in stress is not the condition that makes you fall into depression and anxiety. It may also affect various functions in the body, one of which is the condition of elevated live enzymes. As per my studies, such enzyme growth can cause various diseases, which can also be life-threatening if not treated on time.

As I have mentioned, normalizing the elevated enzymes in the liver can be tough but not impossible. Putting a little effort into doing exercise and turning yourself towards a healthy diet can decrease the already elevated enzymes. Additionally, my recommended to limit alcohol consumption to prevent such a situation.

Dr. Jun Ren is a dedicated and experienced registered dietitian and nutritionist who is committed to helping people achieve their health goals through personalized nutrition plans. With a passion for promoting healthy eating habits and preventing chronic diseases, Dr. Ren has been able to assist numerous clients in improving their overall quality of life.

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