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You Can Check Your Liver’s Health At Home

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Editors at LiverSupport.com

Jun 7th, 2023

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The liver has many important functions in the human body. It helps break down fats in the foods we eat, assists with the production of protein, clears the blood of harmful substances, aids in immune system function, and more. (1) If you’re concerned that your liver may not be working as well as it should be, there are a few things you can do to check your liver’s health at home.

But first, let’s talk about how to recognize poor liver function.

Signs of Poor Liver Function

You may not realize that your liver function is compromised because signs don’t always appear until the damage to this organ is severe. That said, if you are experiencing any of these symptoms, poor liver function may be the cause: (2)

• feelings of fatigue
• reduced appetite and/or weight loss
• nausea and vomiting
• abdominal discomfort (in the upper right side)
• swelling of the ankles or feet
• itchy skin
• dark urine color
• yellowing of the eyes or skin
• trouble thinking or remembering
• sleep issues

Since many of these symptoms could have numerous other causes, it’s important to go one step further and check your liver health. This way, if liver function is to blame, you’re able to get the help you need to stop and potentially reverse the damage.

And this testing can begin at home.

Take An At Home Liver Test

Several at home or do-it-yourself liver tests are available. A couple of places where you can currently find tests to check your liver health at home are available at Walmart and Amazon.

They work by measuring the level of certain substances in your urine or blood, such as different enzymes and proteins. If the levels of any substances tested are off, it could be an indicator of poor liver function.

What Does An At Home Liver Test Check For?

While each at home liver function test is different, some of the substances (like an at home liver enzyme test) they may check in an effort to determine liver health include:

• alanine aminotransferase (ALT) – damaged liver cells release the enzyme ALT, so high levels suggest the presence of liver injury or disease (3)
• aspartate aminotransferase (AST) – high levels of the enzyme AST also signal liver issues since damaged cells release AST into the blood (4)
• gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) – if the liver is damaged, this can cause GGT to enter the bloodstream, leading to higher levels of this enzyme (5)
• bilirubin – high levels of this broken-down byproduct of red blood cells suggest that your liver may not be processing bilirubin into bile as it should, or it could signal blocked bile ducts (6)
• urobilinogen – when urine contains high levels of urobilinogen, a byproduct of bilirubin, this could be a sign that a liver disease is present (7)
• high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) – this protein is produced by the liver at higher levels when inflammation exists, indicating that there is inflammation somewhere in the body (8)
• hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) – there is a link between diabetes and liver disease; however, research has also connected elevated HbA1c levels with a greater risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in people without diabetes (9)

Urine-based liver health tests often provide results that can be read directly after taking the test.

Blood-based liver health tests must be mailed to the designated lab, after which you are provided the results by email, mail, or in an app.

Generally speaking, medical insurance policies don’t cover the cost of at home liver tests. Though, it is always advised that you speak with your provider first to verify this, in case your specific policy does.

If You Have Concerns About Your Liver Health

If your tests come back outside of the normal parameters for certain substances, the important thing is not to panic. Some at home liver tests are higher in quality than others, which can affect the accuracy of your results. Plus, certain foods and medications can impact liver test results, throwing off their findings. (10)

So, the next step is to schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider. They can run additional tests on your liver function to know for sure if an issue exists.

In the meantime, there are several things you can do to help boost liver health. The American Liver Foundation shares that this includes: (11)

• losing excess weight
• eating a balanced diet
• exercising regularly
• reducing your exposure to toxins
• drinking alcohol responsibly and avoiding illicit drugs
• following safe sex practices

Taking a liver health supplement may also help. LiverSupport.com offers a variety of products designed to help support healthy liver function.