Lifestyle
‘I’m a Hepatologist, and This Is the Fruit I Swear by for Liver Health’
Liver disease impacts 4.5 million Americans, but the potentially deadly group of conditions can go undetected for years. The liver is a central component of your body’s natural detoxification system, making it crucial to keep this organ as healthy as possible.
Liver disease can be caused by a range of elements, including alcohol use, genetics and certain viruses, but the foods you eat can also influence the health of your liver. “In the past, dietary changes were the only way to treat liver disease,” says Dr. Zhaoping Li, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Human Nutrition and Chief of the Division of Clinical Nutrition at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “Food quality and intake is fundamental for liver health.”
There’s no one magic food that can transform your liver health, but hepatologists generally agree that there’s a fruit that’s especially supportive of the largest organ in your body. Below, doctors break down the fruit they recommend loading up on and why.
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The Fruit Hepatologists Recommend for Liver Health
Most fruits (and vegetables) can support good liver health, but doctors say that blueberries are especially potent.
“Blueberries are one of the most studied fruits for liver protection, and they pack a punch,” says Dr. Anthony Martinez, MD, hepatologist and associate professor of medicine at the University at Buffalo. That’s mostly because of their polyphenol (plant compounds known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects) and anthocyanin (a type of antioxidant) content, he explains.
“Blueberries promote liver health by reducing oxidative stress, lowering inflammation, improving fat metabolism, and protecting against fibrosis and even cancerous changes,” he adds.
Related: What Happens to Your Body if You Eat Blueberries Every Day, According to a Registered Dietitian
Research on the impact of blueberries on liver health has mostly been limited to animal studies, but those findings are promising. A 2023 study published in the journal Heliyon subjected rats to medication that can stress the liver. The researchers discovered that blueberry supplements “significantly” suppressed liver damage in the rats that took them.
Another rat study published in the journal Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity looked at the impact of blueberry extract on rats over four weeks. The researchers discovered that rats who had blueberries had better liver function than those who didn’t. “Blueberries can be used as a potential therapeutic strategy for the management of age-related liver dysfunction and disease,” the researchers wrote in the conclusion.
“Blueberries [were] shown to be protective against scarring of the liver—at least in animal models,” says Dr. Ani Kardashian, MD, a hepatologist with Keck Medicine of USC.
Related: 7 Foods Cardiologists Always Eat for Heart Health
How Many Blueberries Should People Eat for Liver Health?
There’s no exact recommendation on how many blueberries you should eat daily to impact your liver health. However, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that most adults eat 1.5 to 2.5 cups of fruit a day.
Dr. Martinez suggests aiming to have a ½ cup to 1 cup each day of fresh or frozen blueberries. “That is enough to see metabolic benefits,” he says.
Related: Cardiologists Are Begging You To Eat More of This High-Fiber Food if You’re Over 50
Other Ways To Support Liver Health
Liver health is complex, and eating blueberries alone won’t automatically make your liver healthy. Here’s what doctors suggest to support liver health:
Follow a Mediterranean diet. “It supports cardiovascular health, and heart disease and liver health are strongly associated,” Dr. Kardashian says. The Mediterranean diet also recommends that people avoid excess calories, saturated fat and refined carbohydrates. All of those can raise the risk of obesity, which is a risk factor for liver disease, Dr. Kardashian points out.
Minimize or avoid alcohol. “Alcohol can be very detrimental to liver health,” she explains. “Any amount of alcohol can damage the liver.”
Consider drinking coffee. A regular coffee habit has been linked to a lowered risk of fatty liver disease, along with scarring of the liver, Dr. Kardashian points out.
Avoid ultra-processed foods. “They’ve been shown to increase the risk of fatty liver disease,” she says.
Exercise regularly. Dr. Kardashian recommends that her patients exercise at least five times a week for good liver health.
As for other fruits that can help, Dr. Martinez says citrus fruits, red and purple grapes, papaya, and prickly pear all have strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to support your liver health.
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Related: The Viral Recipe That Has Us Rushing to the Store to Buy Blueberries
Sources:
Chronic Liver Disease and Cirrhosis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Gao E, Hercun J, et al. Undiagnosed liver diseases. Translational Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2021. DOI:10.21037/tgh.2020.04.04.
Liver Diseases. U.S. National Library of Medicine
Dr. Anthony Martinez, MD, hepatologist and associate professor of medicine at University at Buffalo
Dr. Ani Kardashian, MD, a hepatologist with Keck Medicine of USC
Dr. Zhaoping Li, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Human Nutrition and Chief of the Division of Clinical Nutrition at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Shynggys S. Zarina S., et al, Blueberry and cranberry extracts mitigate CCL4-induced liver damage, suppressing liver fibrosis, inflammation and oxidative stress, Heliyon, 2023, DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15370.
Albrahim T, Alonazi M. Effect of blueberry extract on liver in aged rats. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. 2022. DOI: 10.1155/2022/3490776
Fruits. U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans
Kositamongkol C, Kanchanasurakit S, et al. Coffee Consumption and Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: An Umbrella Review and a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2021. DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.786596
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 26, 2025, where it first appeared in the Health & Wellness section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.