# Can the liver benefit from a "rest"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 26, 2014, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-liver-benefit-from-a-rest/699583 "2014-09-26T01:32:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-liver-benefit-from-a-rest/699583/61 "2014-09-27T02:54:08Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > …nor does a normal person’s liver need a “rest” from its function… For something to be beneficial doesn’t mean it is needed. I mean I would benefit by getting a million dollars but it doesn’t mean I need it. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-liver-benefit-from-a-rest/699583/62 "2014-09-27T02:56:57Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > …And **JohnClay** who states that toxins are things that are bad. Which does sound a bit like it would equaly fit “evil spirits.” I said “Toxins are things that are bad for some reason and need to be removed from the blood” Are you saying that evil spirits need to be removed from the blood? And do you think when I wrote “Apparently the liver can remove toxins” that I was partly referring to evil spirits? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-liver-benefit-from-a-rest/699583/63 "2014-09-27T03:07:14Z")
> [@JohnClay](#): > > I’d say that a lot of alcohol is a somewhat normal diet… And you’d be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-liver-benefit-from-a-rest/699583/64 "2014-09-27T03:07:23Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > So, JohnClay, you’ve now had opinions from genuine liver experts as well as more than one medical doctor who are all unanimous in saying that the whole concept is stupid. > > Are you actually going to listen to any of these answers you’ve asked for, or are you just going to keep coming up with more excuses to believe what you want to believe no matter how many people tell you you’re wrong? Decided to go with plan B, huh? ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-liver-benefit-from-a-rest/699583/65 "2014-09-27T03:14:37Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > And you’d be wrong. Then I wrote " ok it’s not a normal diet but I did originally ask “can…” not if a rest is _always_ beneficial." “Can” means is there any example where the liver can benefit from a rest… the original question wasn’t restricted to normal people. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-liver-benefit-from-a-rest/699583/66 "2014-09-27T03:16:39Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Decided to go with plan B, huh? People were saying that a rest from alcohol is beneficial for the liver. It depends how you interpret my question so it doesn’t necessarily mean that “the whole concept is stupid”. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-liver-benefit-from-a-rest/699583/67 "2014-09-27T03:18:17Z")
You are choosing to “interpret” the question by ignoring all of the expert opinion and information that doesn’t match what you want to hear. You are entirely delusional if you think this will do a damn bit of good. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-liver-benefit-from-a-rest/699583/68 "2014-09-27T03:20:15Z")
I think my brain would benefit from a rest from this toxin. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-liver-benefit-from-a-rest/699583/69 "2014-09-27T03:20:44Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > So, JohnClay, you’ve now had opinions from genuine liver experts as well as more than one medical doctor who are all unanimous in saying that the whole concept is stupid… What about this: > **[Eating fast food regularly has the same impact on the liver as hepatitis,...](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2279860/Eating-fast-food-regularly-impact-liver-hepatitis-study-finds.html)** > > A new study shows that regularly eating fast food isn't just bad for your waistline, it can also damage your liver in ways that are surprisingly similar to hepatitis. The results were revealed on the television program, 'The Doctors.' > [@](#): > > …A new study shows that regularly eating fast food isn’t just bad for your waistline, it can also damage your liver in ways that are surprisingly similar to hepatitis. > The results were revealed on the television program, ‘The Doctors,’… That involves a doctor too so it isn’t “all unanimous”! ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-liver-benefit-from-a-rest/699583/70 "2014-09-27T03:22:48Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > You are choosing to “interpret” the question by ignoring all of the expert opinion and information that doesn’t match what you want to hear. What about this: > **[Eating fast food regularly has the same impact on the liver as hepatitis,...](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2279860/Eating-fast-food-regularly-impact-liver-hepatitis-study-finds.html)** > > A new study shows that regularly eating fast food isn't just bad for your waistline, it can also damage your liver in ways that are surprisingly similar to hepatitis. The results were revealed on the television program, 'The Doctors.' I’d consider it “expect opinion”. Maybe you will ignore that… > [@](#): > > You are entirely delusional if you think this will do a damn bit of good. You aren’t using the term “delusional” properly. I’ve been delusional in the past. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-liver-benefit-from-a-rest/699583/71 "2014-09-27T03:33:22Z")
> [@JohnClay](#): > > What about this: > [Eating fast food regularly has the same impact on the liver as hepatitis, study finds | Daily Mail Online](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2279860/Eating-fast-food-regularly-impact-liver-hepatitis-study-finds.html) > > That involves a doctor too so it isn’t “all unanimous”! Seriously? There’s no methodology, no data, no nothing given except the claims of some nattily attired smooth talking MD. I’m not trying to be difficult, but come on. Sure, it “involves a doctor too” but as a cite it’s laughable. (And it’s not even been published, let alone reviewed. It’s just a bit of an interview with said MD.) ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-liver-benefit-from-a-rest/699583/72 "2014-09-27T03:35:00Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Replace “toxins” with “evil spirits,” “cleansing” with “exorcism” and “fasting” with “hiding in a closet so the demons can’t find me” and you’ve pretty much got it. They all add up to “purification” for the believers. I am so stealing this. > [@Smeghead](#): > > You are choosing to “interpret” the question by ignoring all of the expert opinion and information that doesn’t match what you want to hear. You are entirely delusional if you think this will do a damn bit of good. Perhaps we need a psych consult as well… ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-liver-benefit-from-a-rest/699583/73 "2014-09-27T03:57:36Z")
> [@JohnClay](#): > > I said “Toxins are things that are bad for some reason and need to be removed from the blood” > > Are you saying that evil spirits need to be removed from the blood? And do you think when I wrote “Apparently the liver can remove toxins” that I was partly referring to evil spirits? Oooo I can play this game too! Alcoholic spirits contain, by definition, at least 20% alcohol. So you don’t think alcohol needs to be removed after all? But really they are only evil in excess. No? Okay. Where else would an evil spirit reside if not in my blood? Of course it would be coursing through my heart. I should leave the evil spirit _in_ my blood? I should remove it perhaps from my tendons and my fat cells but _leave it in my blood_? Why would you have do that? Unless you are … Satan?!? Fortunately I exorcise every day … Funnily enough both sorts of evil spirits may result in vomiting and foul language. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-liver-benefit-from-a-rest/699583/74 "2014-09-27T03:59:16Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > Seriously? There’s no methodology, no data, no nothing given except the claims of some nattily attired smooth talking MD. So did the experts in this thread provide any of that? > [@](#): > > I’m not trying to be difficult, but come on. Sure, it “involves a doctor too” but as a cite it’s laughable. My point is that it isn’t “all unanimous”. If it was I’d accept it. > [@](#): > > (And it’s not even been published, let alone reviewed. It’s just a bit of an interview with said MD.) The “expert opinions” here are in a similar boat. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-liver-benefit-from-a-rest/699583/75 "2014-09-27T04:30:44Z")
> [@Surreal](#): > > Are you seriously disputing the fact that one of the functions of the liver is to remove toxins from the body? I’m not disputing that at all. What I was getting at, and what many other people seem to have picked up on, is that to answer the OP’s question, we should have a clear idea of what substances the liver filters out of the body and how it does this. Are there toxins that are found in a variety of common foods, so that fasting can give the liver a rest, or is a normal diet already virtually toxin-free and restful to the liver? Or would a liver-resting diet have to cut out red meat, or fish, or leafy green vegetables? Do even small amounts of toxins take a toll on the liver, or can the liver constantly process low-to-moderate amounts of toxins (e.g. from one or two alcoholic drinks per day) with no long-term ill effects? Are there toxins that, even if you get a dose that nearly kills you, won’t cause long-term damage to the liver? **John Clay** said, “Toxins are things that are bad for some reason and need to be removed from the blood. I think the liver puts them in bile.” Even if that’s completely true, it’s compatible with more than one answer to each of the questions in the above paragraph. My apologies for having been vague, and for not checking in on this thread sooner. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-liver-benefit-from-a-rest/699583/76 "2014-09-27T04:50:25Z")
> [@JohnClay](#): > > So did the experts in this thread provide any of that? > My point is that it isn’t “all unanimous”. If it was I’d accept it. > The “expert opinions” here are in a similar boat. It is very difficult to find a published study demonstrating that trolls are not causing obstructive sleep apnea in some cases. It probably is not as difficult to find some quack who is will to say trolls cause sleep apnea if saying so will get him on the media and possibly allow him to sell some books or products. The burden of proof however is not upon tose who say that there is no evidence that something occurs; it is upon those who say there is. No question that one should not eat Shiga toxin, or botulinus toxin, or clostridial toxin, or the ones that cause Staph scalded skin or scarlet fever or strep related kidney diseases, every day. Yes, give it a rest sometimes. Fasting or a diet severely restricted (other than in that it does not contain those poisons) is not per se “rest” for the liver, which must mange the metabolic consequences of fasting and restrictions (no protein intake means mobilizing the body’s protein stores and metabolizing it - work for the liver; so on). ---
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-liver-benefit-from-a-rest/699583/77 "2014-09-27T07:05:41Z")
The liver regenerates from most damage, up to a limit. It’s also always active - there are certain functions it performs even if you don’t eat or drink anything. In fact, it does gluconeogenesis when you do that. Anyways, failing livers is rarely what kills people. (a tumor would but that isn’t related to how much you use it). Worry about your heart instead. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-liver-benefit-from-a-rest/699583/78 "2014-09-27T12:38:22Z")
> [@JohnClay](#): > > The “expert opinions” here are in a similar boat. Then why are you asking here? For the umpteenth time, why do you ask for opinions and thoughts on this board, only to ignore each and every one of them that doesn’t agree with your preconceived ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-liver-benefit-from-a-rest/699583/79 "2014-09-27T14:34:13Z")
Validation-seeking. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-liver-benefit-from-a-rest/699583/80 "2014-09-27T15:43:08Z")
When discussing toxins handled by the liver, it is also worthwhile to consider endogenous “toxins”. This has already been mentioned by several others, but I want to state it explicitly. The liver also metabolizes and/or excretes substances that are byproducts of normal metabolic processes. So although we usually think of the liver as a digestive organ, it has many functions and is always busy in one way or another, whether we are eating or not. That is why many of us have difficulty accepting the concept of a liver “at rest”. BUT, if you want to cling to the notion of “resting the liver”, as many have said in this thread before, too much alcohol can be a bad thing for your liver, and it can potentiate other hepatotoxins (such as acetominophen). I’m am sure many have been told to “give their liver a rest from alcohol” from time to time, especially when taking tylenol. Also, I’m sure that if your diet includes significant amounts of pesticides, herbicides, or other poisons, it won’t hurt to cut that out. It’s just that this isn’t quite thesame thing as we think of with resting and recovery of sleletal muscles (or entire organisms, such as people). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-liver-benefit-from-a-rest/699583.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-liver-benefit-from-a-rest/699583.md?page=5)