The Vivoo liver box helps you track liver health by monitoring the state of your liver function. This is done by measuring the level of bilirubin in the urine. Vivoo also provides personalized nutritional and lifestyle advice that could help improve liver health.
The Importance of Liver
The liver is the largest organ in the body. It performs over 500 different vital activities, including removing toxins from the blood, regulating blood coagulation, among hundreds of other critical functions.
The main functions of the liver include:
- Albumin synthesis: Albumin (a type of protein) is responsible for carrying hormones, vitamins, and enzymes through the body.
- Getting rid of toxins: The liver filters all blood leaving the stomach and intestines, removing toxins, byproducts, and other dangerous compounds.
- Bile synthesis: Bile is required for food digestion.
- Storing vitamins and minerals: The liver stores a variety of health-promoting nutrients, including vitamins A, D, E, K, B12, and iron.
- Helps metabolize proteins and fats: Bile breaks down fats and protein for easy digestion.
Liver Diseases
The liver has a unique capacity among organs to regenerate after sustaining damage (e.g., caused by various diseases). That said, the irreversible deterioration or the loss of liver functions can still occur. When large parts of the liver become damaged beyond repair, potentially leading to various health conditions.
The symptoms of liver diseases are not always obvious. They can also differ based on the specific type of liver disease, but common symptoms include:
- Jaundice
- Abdominal pain and swelling
- Diarrhea and indigestion
- Chronic fatigue
- Nausea and vomiting
- Loss of appetite and rapid weight loss
- Sleeping disorders
Risk Factors of Liver Diseases
Well-known risk factors for liver disease include:
- High alcohol consumption
- Obesity
- Type 2 diabetes
- Getting piercing or tattoos
- Exposure to other people's blood and body fluids
- Unprotected sex
- Genetic predisposition
Detection of Liver Disease
The goal when testing for liver disease is to identify liver damage, assess its severity, determine its cause, and monitor the condition of the liver for a while. Regular screening and early detection are critical because considerable liver damage can occasionally occur in the presence of little or no symptoms. Typically, the liver can regenerate. That means it's able to repair damage and relieve inflammation. But some conditions can cause progressive liver damage.
The body expels the by-products generated from the liver's breakdown of toxic chemicals via the bile or blood, where these substances then pass through the intestine and exit the body as feces. The kidneys also play a role in filtering out these by-products from blood, allowing them to pass out of the body in the form of urine. These substances in urine are easily detectable using strip tests. Note that one of the most common by-products used as a biomarker to understand the condition of the liver is bilirubin.
What does the presence of bilirubin in urine indicate?
Bilirubin is a pigment present in bile, a yellowish chemical produced by the body during the natural breakdown of red blood cells. If your liver is functioning well, it will remove the majority of bilirubin from your body. And the opposite holds. When your liver is damaged, it will not be able to remove bilirubin from your body optimally – which means the substance could leak into your blood and urine. So, urinary bilirubin level is an indicator of liver function; a bilirubin test offers you the opportunity to detect liver or gallbladder problems in advance. Early diagnosis may prevent damage from occurring in your liver.
Possible Results:
Here’s how you could interpret your Vivoo results:
Score: 10/10, Label: Great, Value: 0 mg/dL Bilirubin
If your result reads “great,” it means that your urine doesn't contain bilirubin. This, in turn, suggests that your liver is working well. That said, you should still do your best to keep your liver healthy – and check on your urinary bilirubin levels regularly.
Score: Between 9/10 to 6/10, Label: Moderate, Value: 1 mg/dL ? X < 6 mg/dL Bilirubin
A low bilirubin level is typically not a cause for concern. Low urinary bilirubin levels can result from taking medications and supplements (e.g., vitamin C supplements), caffeinated drinks, and certain antibiotics. In cases where your results in other tests are also moderate or weak, you should check your diet, supplements, as well as any drugs and medications you're on.
Score: Between 5/10 to 1/10 Label: Weak, Value: ? 6 mg/dL Bilirubin
If your result reads "weak", it means that your urine contains high levels of bilirubin. This could indicate a reduction in optimal liver function or even the presence of diseases like hepatitis, cirrhosis, biliary tract disease, or gallstones in the biliary tract. Consider implementing the recommendations mentioned above to prevent liver disease.
