Haims: Protecting your liver may help prevent heart disease
I used to think heart disease was something I’d worry about later in life — something that showed up after retirement, not in the middle of an active life. That belief didn’t last long. In addition to my own experience, over the past few years, I’ve watched several friends in their early 50s — people who exercise, watch what they eat, and seem healthy — deal with serious heart problems. None of them expected it. I didn’t either.
Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States, responsible for more deaths than any other cause. In 2023, cardiovascular diseases — including heart disease and stroke — accounted for 915,973 deaths, and someone in the U.S. died of cardiovascular disease about every 34 seconds.
What surprised me most wasn’t just how common it is, but how early it shows up. A large number of major cardiovascular events happen between the ages of 35 and 64, and research suggests as many as 4% to 10% of heart attacks occur before age 45, most often in men. (You should be surprised, too). Such numbers make it harder to say, “That won’t happen to me.”
Like most people, I was familiar with the usual advice: Keep your weight in check, exercise regularly, don’t smoke, and eat better. Yes, all of this matters. But, as I started reading more, I kept seeing something unexpected come up again and again — the liver.
The liver isn’t an organ we think about unless something goes wrong. It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t demand attention, and it rarely announces when a problem is developing. Its purpose is filtering toxins from the blood, helping digest food, managing fats and sugars, and producing proteins that keep our blood flowing normally. When the liver isn’t working well, the effects don’t stay confined there. They show up in places like the heart.
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That’s where non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) — also often called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) comes in. As per the Mayo Clinic, this disease “is a liver condition that affects people with excess weight, obesity or other metabolic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol.” Current estimates suggest around 30% of adults worldwide — a number which in recent years is growing — may have fatty liver disease, with similar high rates in North America.
What really changed my perspective was learning how strongly fatty liver disease is linked to heart problems. Studies from renowned research organizations as the European Cardiology Review (ECR), Cedar Sinai, and the American Heart Association, show people with NAFLD face higher risks of heart attacks, heart failure, and cardiovascular death. In fact, many people with fatty liver disease are more likely to die from heart complications than liver failure itself.
So, is there anything encouraging? Yes, the steps that support liver health are the same ones that protect the heart: moving more, eating better, maintaining a healthy weight, managing blood sugar and cholesterol, limiting alcohol, and staying engaged with health care providers. Heart disease doesn’t arrive suddenly. It develops quietly, long before symptoms appear. Paying attention to liver health may be one of the most overlooked ways to intervene early. As I had stated a few weeks ago, longevity and a high quality of life “requires a shift from reacting to health failures to shaping health on a daily basis.” Being proactive with your health is an act of self-respect — it’s choosing yourself before life forces the choice for you. When you take even little proactive steps to care for your health, you’re investing in more time to live the life you actually want with the people you love.
Judson Haims is the owner of Visiting Angels Home Care in Eagle County. He is an advocate for our elderly and is available to answer questions. Connect with him at jhaims@visitingangels.com.
