The 7 Signs Your Liver is Dying

Berg observes that modern grocery stores devote entire aisles to carbohydrate snack foods. Constant grazing keeps insulin high, which not only drives liver fat storage but also blocks fat burning. He frames this as the foundational step: cutting out snacking immediately reduces the daily insulin load on the liver. This protocol is not about calorie reduction but about giving the liver metabolic rest between meals.

Berg identifies industrial starch—often derived from corn and used as a cheap filler in fast and processed foods—as the central driver of liver disease. Maltodextrin, with a glycemic index of 140–180 (higher than pure glucose), is not even labeled as sugar, making it an invisible threat. The average person consumes 200 pounds per year. Seed oils independently worsen the problem by impairing hepatic insulin receptor function, compounding insulin resistance. Berg claims that simply removing this one category can allow a severely damaged liver to return to normal within weeks. This is the highest-impact intervention he recommends.

Berg emphasizes that while removing harmful foods is necessary, the replacement matters. He highlights arugula as a preferred salad green because it increases nitric oxide (beneficial for the heart) and its slight bitterness is especially good for the liver. Radish, dandelion greens, Swiss chard, and kale are also specifically listed as liver-supportive. Fermented vegetables are recommended because many people tolerate them better, and they add probiotic benefits. This protocol turns the diet into an active tool for liver regeneration.

Berg notes a behavioral loop: when sleep is poor, cortisol rises, which triggers cravings and leads to more snacking on carbohydrates. This in turn worsens insulin resistance and liver fat. He cites that researchers have correlated insufficient sleep with greater liver damage. He urges using the early signs like 2–3 a.m. waking as a prompt to prioritize sleep, not just to treat the symptom but as a direct intervention for the liver itself.

This is a straightforward recommendation. Berg inserts it as the fifth point in his fix list. He doesn't elaborate deeply on the toxicology, framing it as a commonsense step to lighten the liver's detoxification workload when it is already compromised.

Though overlapping with the earlier diet protocol, Berg singles out cruciferous vegetables again to reinforce their importance. He mentions that many people do better with fermented versions. The practice is simple: include them daily. He then uses this as a segue to introduce TUDCA, positioning these vegetables as a natural baseline support, with TUDCA as an advanced adjunct.

Berg briefly gives the history: bear bile (called tadka) was so effective that many bears were killed for it, until a synthetic version (TUDCA) was developed, which appears to retain similar benefits. He claims to have seen 'mind-blowing' results in people with liver problems, noting it makes the liver feel much better and helps resolve the shoulder pain he described earlier. He does not provide a dosing protocol, but his personal endorsement is strong.

The liver stores and releases glucose continuously to feed the brain overnight. When the liver is dysfunctional, blood sugar spikes and then drops steeply. The brain, lacking its own fuel stores, detects the drop and triggers an emergency adrenaline release to mobilize more glucose. Adrenaline both raises blood sugar and jolts the person awake, fully alert, often far more awake than during the day. Berg emphasizes that the adrenals are not diseased; they are simply responding to a liver that can't maintain stable blood glucose. Correcting the liver, not the adrenals, is the real solution.

Berg traces the problem to the 1970s explosion of corn-based processing, which produced cheap thickeners and fillers like maltodextrin for the fast-food industry. Maltodextrin is not classified as a sugar, yet its glycemic index (140–180) far exceeds glucose (100). The average person consumes 200 lbs of this ‘industrial starch’ per year. It spikes insulin enormously, driving liver fat accumulation even in people who have never consumed alcohol. Seed oils compound the problem by damaging insulin receptors on the liver, worsening insulin resistance. Berg says avoiding this one category—hidden industrial starch—can take a person from severe liver damage to a normal liver in weeks.

Berg explains that when the liver is damaged, bile production slows and bile becomes sluggish in the tiny bile ducts. This causes the liver to swell, pressing on the diaphragm and the phrenic nerve. That nerve refers the sensation up to the right shoulder and neck. The pancreas can also overcompensate and refer pain to the left shoulder via the same mechanism, but the right side is more common. He attributes all of this to the same dietary trigger: industrial starch.

Berg recounts how excess bile that cannot exit the liver re-enters the bloodstream and deposits in the skin, causing intense itching. He highlights that the itch is often worse at night and can drive a person crazy. The underlying problem is bile duct obstruction or sluggishness, again tied to the liver's inability to handle industrial starch. Recognizing this symptom can allow early intervention before more overt liver signs appear.

Berg points out that a person who previously could drink without issue and suddenly feels ill from minimal alcohol is experiencing a functional testing of their liver's detox capacity. This is a red flag that the liver is struggling. He makes the point sarcastically about himself not being able to tolerate a six-pack, then clarifies he can't tolerate any alcohol at all now, whereas he could before. The symptom reflects the liver's reduced ability to metabolize alcohol, allowing toxic acetaldehyde to accumulate.