Therefore, patients with hepatitis C would be unwise to drink alcohol in excess, and total avoidance of all alcohol intake is recommended . The liver plays an important role in the metabolism of iron since it is the primary organ in the body that stores this metal. The average American diet contains about 10- 20 mg of iron. Patients with chronic hepatitis C sometimes have difficulty excreting iron from the body. This can result in an overload of iron in the liver, blood, and other organs.
Excess iron can be very damaging to the liver.
Studies suggest that high iron levels reduce the response rate of patients with hepatitis C to interferon. Thus, patients with chronic hepatitis C whose serum iron level is elevated, or who have cirrhosis, should avoid taking iron supplementation. In addition, one should restrict the amounts of iron rich foods in their diet, such as red meats, liver, and cereals fortified with iron, and should avoid cooking with iron coated utensils. However, this disease may also occur in individuals of normal weight, without other associated diseases, and can also affect men. The addition of NASH in patients with hepatitis C may worsen liver related blood work and physical exam.