The Liver Body Type

The liver body type typically results from a poorly functioning liver and can come along with several unwanted side effects. Health issues associated with this body type can be improved with proper nutrition and lifestyle changes.

Learn how to fix a liver body type to get healthy, lose weight, and get your life back.

The five body types explained

There are five hormonal body types: liver, adrenal, thyroid, ovary, and pancreas. Here’s an overview of each!

The liver body type

The liver body type is typically seen in men and can be identified by a protruding pot belly. Cirrhosis, inflammation, and a fatty liver all contribute to this body type. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is caused by insulin and can also cause damage to the liver. 

Liver body types are often low in HGH or human growth hormone. This is one of the fat-burning hormones and is often subdued in the presence of hormones like insulin, cortisol, and estrogen. Liver body types should avoid consuming excess alcohol, especially before bed.

The adrenal body type

The adrenal body type can be identified by a sagging belly. Adrenal body types are influenced by the adrenal hormones, especially cortisol. A sagging belly isn't necessarily diet-related; it's often stress-related. Your adrenal hormones come from your two adrenal glands, located on top of your kidneys. 

Some of the symptoms of this body type include: 

• Trouble sleeping

• Poor response to stress

• Inability to feel calm

• Poor memory

• Salt cravings 

• Chocolate cravings

For optimal health with this body type, focus on reducing stress and getting enough sleep to avoid raising your cortisol levels unnecessarily.

The thyroid body type 

The thyroid body type experiences weight gain all over the body and not in any one specific area. Some other symptoms of a thyroid body type include hair loss, fatigue, cold feet, eye problems, nail ridges, and an abnormal tongue.

Oftentimes, your doctor may prescribe thyroid medication for a slow thyroid, and it doesn't lead to any weight loss! If this happens, it usually means your thyroid issue is a secondary problem, not a primary one. Thyroid issues are often secondary to high estrogen levels or liver problems. 

The ovary body type

The ovary body type typically experiences weight gain in the lower body and is a result of estrogen dominance. Because this body type is related to estrogen, it's only common in women. 

After menopause, ovary body types experience hot flashes and night sweats and may begin to resemble the adrenal body type. When the ovary glands stop working, the adrenal glands take over.

If you have this body type, cruciferous vegetables should be a staple in your diet because they help balance estrogen. Be sure to consume only organic foods and organic dairy products to avoid exposure to hormones in your food. 

The pancreas body type

The pancreas body type can look similar to other body types but is triggered by insulin. This body type can look exactly like the adrenal body type or the thyroid body type, so remember to focus on what triggered you to gain weight and not just your body shape. 

If you're struggling to lose weight, you may be following a diet for the wrong body type. If you are unsure which body type you are, take this body type quiz to find out. 

The liver body type explained

The liver is a 3.5-pound organ the size of a football, located on the right side of your abdomen. Poor dieting and exposure to toxins like alcohol lead to liver damage, resulting in the liver body type. This body type is most common in men, but women can have the liver body type as well.

While exercise has numerous benefits for your health, it doesn't help much with weight loss for liver body types because the problem is fluid rather than fat. 

Heavily-cooked animal protein, deep-fried foods, and fatty foods all cause damage to the liver. The worse the liver damage, the more difficult it is to tolerate animal proteins.

Liver damage can impair your ability to convert thyroid hormone T4 to T3. This can cause a secondary thyroid problem resulting in weight gain and a thyroid body type. 

Out of all your organs, the liver is the only one that can completely regenerate 100 percent, but it can take up to three years of proper diet for this to happen.

Liver body type symptoms

The most noticeable characteristic of this body type is a protruding belly that is hard to the touch, also known as a condition called ascites.

What looks like excess belly fat is actually fluid leaking from the liver into the abdominal cavity.

Here are some other common symptoms of a liver body type:

• Skin issues (eczema, psoriasis, liver spots, skin tags, itchy skin)

• Chronic halitosis

• Hot feet

• White tongue–caused by yeast

• Digestive issues

• Stiffness in the lower back

• Cravings for fat and sugar

• Low bile symptoms (bloating after eating, burping, headaches on the right side)

• Blood sugar issues

Liver body types often crave sweets after eating because you're not digesting fats to satisfy your blood sugars. Morning grouchiness is also common due to low blood sugar upon waking up. 

Right shoulder pain is commonly associated with liver problems because of the liver's location on the right side of the body. When it becomes enlarged, it can compress your nerves, affecting your right shoulder. 

Your liver makes bile which is like the detergent of the body, helping you digest fats and absorb fat-soluble vitamins. If your liver is damaged, you won't produce enough bile and may start to show signs of deficiency in fat-soluble vitamins.

Here are some of the signs of deficiency in fat-soluble vitamins:

• Vitamin A deficiency - sinus problems, trouble seeing at night, dry skin 

• Vitamin D deficiency - problems absorbing calcium, seasonal depression 

• Vitamin E deficiency - problems with libido, dry skin, hot flashes

• Vitamin K deficiency - bruising, kidney stones, high blood pressure 

Don't sleep on your left side if you have a liver problem! The liver will be too heavy and could potentially compress your heart.

The liver body type diet

Exercise won't always improve a liver body type, so a proper diet is critical. 

With a liver body type, you'll want to consume a moderate amount of protein—3 ounces per meal should be plenty. If you're a larger person, 6 ounces is okay, but you don't want to overdo it with the protein. 

Too much protein can aggravate the liver. Limit the number of nuts that you consume because nuts can aggravate the liver as well.

Liver body types need to consume lots of greens, especially cruciferous vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables should be a staple in your diet because they help repair liver function. Kale, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts are all cruciferous vegetables. 

When you're doing intermittent fasting, increase your fat intake slowly so you don't overload your liver and gallbladder. Slowly increasing your fat intake will stimulate the liver to produce more bile.

Consuming foods that help stimulate bile production can be helpful. Beet tops, ginger, artichokes, citrus fruits, dandelion greens, and milk thistle all help stimulate the liver to produce more bile.

How to fix a liver body type and lose weight 

A functional liver is imperative for the regulation and detoxification of toxins and hormones like cortisol and estrogen. Excess amounts of these hormones can cause weight gain and many other negative side effects. 

If you want to improve your life and regain the health of your liver, it's important to focus on your diet.

Choline is an important nutrient that helps strip the fat off of your liver. Choline is essential for proper liver function and can be found in egg yolks and meat or taken as a supplement. 

Following a ketogenic diet can eliminate insulin spikes, which contribute to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Surprisingly, over 25% of the population has this health problem, and it's linked directly to fructose, which is essentially sugar. 

To cleanse a fatty liver, you need to increase fat and reduce or remove sugar from your diet. Check out this study connecting diets high in sugar to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. 

Intermittent fasting works by forcing the body to release its glycogen stores and actually start to burn its own fat. Intermittent fasting creates this effect, causing your body to burn the fat stored in your liver.

Key takeaways

If you're a liver body type and want to improve your health, it's crucial that you start making healthy choices today. Thankfully, the liver is capable of completely regenerating itself.

If you want to get healthy and lose weight with a liver body type, focus on proper nutrition and lifestyle changes to improve your overall health. Following the keto diet, eating foods that support your body type, and starting intermittent fasting can help improve the liver body type.

FAQ

1. What is a liver body type?

A liver body type is the result of a poor diet, leading to a poorly functioning liver. If you have this body type, you experience weight gain in the stomach area that is firmer than the adrenal type, resembling a pot belly. It's more common in men—but is sometimes seen in women.

2. What should people with a liver body type eat?

Always choose organic foods that are free of synthetic hormones. Cruciferous vegetables are key because they help to repair liver function. This body type benefits from moderate amounts of protein to avoid taxing the liver. 

You should follow a keto diet and slowly increase your fat intake as you adapt to ketosis. Slowly increasing dietary fat will help you avoid overworking the liver and stimulate bile production.  

3. What are the five body types?

The five hormonal body types are liver, thyroid, pancreas, ovary, and adrenal.

4. How can I tell if I have a liver body type? 

If you seem to gain weight that you can't lose and have a protruding pot belly, you may have a liver body type. No matter how much you exercise, weight loss in this region will be difficult because it isn't fat—it's fluid. Skin issues, digestive issues, and low bile symptoms like headaches and bloating can be signs of this body type.

5. What foods should I avoid if I have a fatty liver? 

Deep-fried fatty foods, fried proteins like fried fish, and other heavy foods can be taxing on an already compromised liver. Avoid these foods if you have a fatty liver.

6. What causes the liver body type? 

Cirrhosis, inflammation, and a fatty liver all contribute to the liver body type. Diets high in sugar and carbohydrates can lead to these health issues.

7. How can I fix my liver body type?

A proper diet combined with keto and intermittent fasting can help fix a liver body type. It's best to avoid alcohol if you have this body type.

8. Which exercise is best for the liver body type?

Exercise is excellent for your health but won't always improve a liver body type. If you want to improve your health and lose weight, focus on the foods that you eat and your lifestyle.