A LACK of understanding about the dangers of liver disease is putting thousands of people at risk every year.
Over the last 30 years the number of deaths caused by liver disease has increased an estimated 400 per cent.
However, Cumbria recorded the lowest number of deaths from liver disease in the entire north west of England.
Between 2013-2015 the mortality rate in Cumbria for alcoholic liver disease in people under 75 was just 8.7 per 100,000 people.
This is in stark contrast to other locations in the North West. In Lancashire the rate was 12 per 100,000; in Manchester 17.2, and in Blackpool the rate was 24 deaths per 100,000.
The rate in Cumbria for non alcohol fatty liver disease is even lower; from 2013-2015 the number of cases was just 0.22 per 100,000 people.
More than two million people in the UK have liver disease, and 16,000 die from it each year.
Andrew Langford, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, said liver disease, and deaths from it, have increased by 400 per cent in just over 30 years.
Mr Langford explained such a large rise can be put down to two main factors - over consumption of alcohol and fatty food.
He said: "The majority of us are underestimating how much we're drinking, and on top of that, there's the increasing burden of obesity in the UK.
"Those two reasons are certainly what's fuelling the liver disease epidemic at the moment."
While it is common knowledge the liver suffers from over consumption of alcohol, it is not as well known the negative impact fatty foods can have on the organ.
The liver breaks down fat, however, the amount present in our diets can cause inflammation and scarring of the liver.
Mr Langford said: "Obesity-related liver disease is increasing. The liver just can't deal with the amount of fat and calories going through it."
The charity is launching a campaign in the hope it can reverse this trend, by highlighting liver health risks and offering people an online assessment of how healthy theirs is.
After the skin, the liver is the largest organ in the body. Its 500-plus functions include fighting infections; turning digested food into energy; controlling levels of fat and neutralising and destroying drugs and toxins.
Mr Langford said: "When you see how many functions the liver's got, you realise why it's such a vital organ, and why you'd die without it."
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