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It’s not just alcohol, understanding liver health and how to support it

When we think about liver health, we think about alcohol, but it's far from the only risk. Diet, inactivity, stress and poor sleep all play a part, and fatty liver disease often has no symptoms. Here's what affects your liver, why testing matters, and how to support it.

Amy8 min read

When we think about liver health, alcohol is usually the first thing that comes to mind. Drinking too much is a well-known risk factor – but it's far from the only one.

The liver is one of the hardest-working organs in the body. It plays a central role in metabolism, detoxification, hormone regulation, immune function and energy production. And because it's so resilient, early signs that it's under strain often go unnoticed.

What can affect your liver health?

Beyond alcohol, several everyday factors influence how well your liver works.

Regularly eating more calories than the body needs – particularly from ultra-processed foods and refined sugars – can lead to fat building up in the liver. Low activity levels make it harder for the body to regulate blood sugar and fat metabolism. Chronic stress, poor sleep and metabolic conditions such as insulin resistance can add further strain.

One increasingly common condition is fatty liver disease that isn't caused by alcohol. Long known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), it's now more often called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), reflecting its close links to metabolic health. It can develop in people who drink little or no alcohol and is associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and cardiovascular risk. In its early stages, it is often reversible with targeted lifestyle changes.

Why testing matters

Because liver disease can progress silently, knowing your baseline is powerful.

A FibroScan® is a non-invasive assessment that measures both fat content and stiffness in the liver. It helps pick up early changes before symptoms appear, and gives you a clear starting point for personalised action.

Supporting liver health through lifestyle therapies

Medical guidance and lifestyle changes remain the foundation of liver health. Alongside them, specific wellness therapies may support the body's natural repair and recovery processes.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

HBOT increases the amount of oxygen delivered to tissues. Emerging research suggests better oxygenation may support cellular repair, reduce inflammation and improve metabolic function – all relevant to the wider conditions associated with liver stress.

Red Light Therapy

Red and near-infrared light have been studied for their effects on mitochondrial function and inflammation. Healthy mitochondria are essential for liver metabolism and energy regulation, which makes red light a supportive therapy when used consistently.

Cryotherapy

Cold exposure has been shown to affect metabolic rate, insulin sensitivity and inflammatory markers – factors closely connected to liver fat and overall metabolic health.

Compression Therapy

By supporting circulation and lymphatic flow, compression therapy may assist the body's natural detoxification and recovery processes, particularly when combined with movement and hydration.

IHHT

Intermittent Hypoxia Hyperoxia Therapy alternates low- and high-oxygen air through a mask while you sit and breathe. It's used to train the body's response at a cellular level, and forms part of our Detox Programme alongside compression and cryotherapy.

None of these therapies replace medical treatment. But used alongside clinical insight, nutrition and movement, they can form part of a holistic, long-term approach to supporting your liver.

Bringing it together: the Detox Programme

Rather than choosing therapies one by one, our Detox Programme combines them into a single-visit cellular reset designed to support the body's own detoxification pathways – through oxygen, cold and lymphatic drainage, not a crash cleanse.

The stack: Compression, IHHT and Cryotherapy Timescale: a single visit, once a month Price: £510 (save £90 vs. booking separately), or 3 × £170

Detox+

Adds a Detox Drip for deeper cellular support – £1,485, or 3 × £495 Optimise with: Turmeric & Co., IU Labs Protect, PURA Protect and our partners at The Liver Clinic Built-in clinical review: we look at what has changed and agree whether to continue, adjust the stack, or stop It's best for people who want a single-visit reset, feel sluggish without a clear cause, or would rather take a cellular approach than follow a cleanse.

Taking a proactive approach

Your liver affects far more than digestion. It influences how you feel, think and recover every day.

Understanding your liver health early lets you take informed, proactive steps long before disease develops. Our friends at The Liver Clinic use the latest liver scanning technology to assess your liver health accurately – a scan is a great starting point before beginning a programme with us.

Find your fit

If liver and metabolic health is your starting point, these Programmes and Signature Stacks may also be relevant.

Programmes

Outcome-led combinations of therapies, with a review point built in.

Detox Programme – from £510 Lifestyle. Compression, IHHT and cryotherapy in a single monthly visit to support the body's detoxification pathways.

Longevity Programme – from £646 Longevity. Compression, hyperbaric oxygen, cryotherapy, red light and PEMF over 12 weeks, for people who would rather act early than react later.

Gut Health Programme – from £1,105 Longevity. Compression, hyperbaric oxygen and red light over 4 to 6 weeks to ease inflammation and support digestion.

Energiser Programme – from £1,606.50 Lifestyle. Compression, hyperbaric oxygen, cryotherapy and red light to rebuild energy from the inside out.

See all Programmes →

Signature Stacks

Several therapies, one visit.

Introductory Stack – £189 Compression, cryotherapy, hyperbaric oxygen and red light – all four therapies above, in one visit, to see how you respond to each.

Seasonal Stack – Autumn – £238 A seasonal combination to help your body adapt as the weather turns.

Energiser Stack – £283.50 Compression, cryotherapy, hyperbaric oxygen and red light for lasting energy.

See all Signature Stacks →

Wondering how this applies to you?

Every stack and programme starts with a consultation. We'll tell you what's likely to help – and say so when something isn't worth your money.

Wondering how this applies to you?

A consultation is where we work out which of this is actually relevant.

Book a consultation

Related goal

Where this fits

The goal this article sits under, if you would rather start from the outcome.

Healthy ageing support at Biowell

Healthy ageing

Healthy ageing is less about adding years and more about keeping the things you can do now — mobility, energy, clarity and recovery.

  • 12 weeks
  • From £95 per session

Related therapy

The therapies behind it

What is mentioned above, and what it actually involves.

The hyperbaric oxygen chamber used for HBOT at Biowell Health in Battersea, London

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Breathing oxygen at increased pressure in a comfortable chamber, to support recovery, repair and cognitive clarity. Sessions are quiet, still and surprisingly restful.

from 30 to 90 minutes£100
A member in the whole body cryotherapy chamber at Biowell Health in Battersea, London

Cryotherapy

Three minutes of extreme dry cold to support recovery, reduce soreness and leave you noticeably alert.

15 minutes£55
IHHT breathing mask for a member at Biowell Health in Battersea, London

Intermittent Hypoxia Hyperoxia Therapy

Alternating low- and high-oxygen air through a mask, used to train the body's response at a cellular level. You sit still and breathe.

from 24 to 48 minutes£75
The full body red light therapy bed at Biowell Health in Battersea, London

Red Light Therapy

Low-level red and near-infrared light, explored for skin, recovery and sleep. A passive session you can fit into a lunch break.

30 minutes£60
A member receiving pneumatic compression therapy in full-leg boots at Biowell Health in Battersea, London

Compression Therapy

Sequential pneumatic compression to support circulation and reduce swelling. Sit back for half an hour and let it work.

30 to 45 minutes£70

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