National Liver Awareness Month

The observance has deep roots. On October 8, 1986, President Ronald Reagan issued Proclamation 5542, after Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 202, designated October 1986 as American Liver Foundation National Liver Awareness Month. The proclamation spoke plainly about the burden of liver disease: liver diseases claim 50,000 lives in the United States each year and were the fourth leading cause of death of Americans between the ages of 15 and 65. There are more than 100 liver disorders, some of them progressively debilitating and often fatal, striking infants, children, adolescents, and adults regardless of sex, race, or economic status. The President urged Americans to learn more about the liver, to support efforts to discover the causes and cures of all types of liver disease, and to aid those who suffer from its crushing physical, psychological, and financial burden.

Reagan’s proclamation also named something that still shadows liver disease today: stigma. People with liver disease suffer not only physically, but emotionally, from the unjust stigma placed on them by the common but mistaken notion that liver disease is caused only by alcoholism. In truth, there are more than 100 types of liver disorders, and many have nothing to do with alcohol. Through the American Liver Foundation, a network of volunteers, families, researchers, and health care professionals throughout the United States dedicated itself to funding and increasing research to find the causes, treatments, cures, and ways to prevent these devastating diseases, while supporting the quality of life of those who must cope with them.

Today the scale of the challenge is staggering. Fatty liver disease, now called steatotic liver disease or SLD, affects an estimated 80 to 100 million Americans, and many do not know it because early symptoms can be subtle. The condition is present in up to 75 percent of overweight people and in more than 90 percent of people with severe obesity, and two of the most common risk factors for liver disease are diabetes and obesity. Through a simple liver health quiz, available at ThinkLiverThinkLife.org in both English and Spanish, anyone can find out if they are at risk and learn what to do next. In screenings conducted for at-risk individuals to date, data show that 62 percent of those screened have some form of steatotic liver disease, a reminder of how many people are living with the condition undiagnosed.

The Think Liver Think Life national public health campaign aims to ensure every American understands their risk for liver disease, receives the appropriate diagnostic testing and care coordination, and feels well-informed and supported throughout their liver journey. As Lorraine Stiehl, Chief Executive Officer of the American Liver Foundation, has said, finding out if you are at risk is the first step toward taking positive action for your liver health, and through liver health quizzes, awareness events, educational webinars, and screenings happening in states throughout the country, more people can be diagnosed early, take action before it is too late, and live longer, healthier lives. She has also offered hope: many liver diseases are reversible if caught early, so there is every reason not to wait.

October also carries a second observance: Liver Cancer Month. Hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of liver cancer, is one of the most rapidly growing causes of cancer-related deaths in the United States, with incidence rates that have more than tripled since 1980 and death rates that have doubled during that time. The American Liver Foundation encourages everyone to take its quick quiz to understand their risk for liver disease, liver cancer, or both, to try a recipe from its 30-day Liver Healthy Meal Plan, to advocate for legislation that can improve the lives of people affected by liver disease, and to participate in free educational and community events held all month long. During October, buildings light green for liver health, proclamations are issued in states across the country, and free liver screenings for at-risk adults are available in states nationwide.

National Liver Awareness Month is, at its heart, a month of compassion. It honors the patients and families living with liver disease, the researchers working toward cures, and the donors whose generosity makes transplants possible. It asks the rest of us for something small but meaningful: to learn, to shed the stigma, to take one minute for the quiz, and to remember that liver health deserves year-round attention. Awareness is only the beginning. Understanding, early action, and kindness carry the work forward.

THE STORY BEHIND NATIONAL LIVER AWARENESS MONTH

📅 The 1986 Proclamation
On October 8, 1986, President Ronald Reagan issued Proclamation 5542, after Congress designated October 1986 as American Liver Foundation National Liver Awareness Month, urging Americans to learn about the liver and support research into causes and cures.

🦠 More Than 100 Disorders
There are more than 100 liver disorders, some progressively debilitating and often fatal, striking people of all ages regardless of sex, race, or economic status.

🗣 Confronting the Stigma
Reagan’s proclamation named the unjust stigma placed on liver disease patients by the mistaken notion that liver disease is caused only by alcoholism, a stigma the month continues to challenge today.

🧮 Think Liver Think Life
The American Liver Foundation’s national public awareness campaign encourages everyone to find out if they are at risk for fatty liver disease, now called steatotic liver disease, which affects an estimated 80 to 100 million Americans.

🟢 Buildings Light Green
Each October, buildings light green for liver health, proclamations are issued in states across the country, and free liver screenings reach at-risk adults, turning awareness into action.

❤️ Liver Cancer Month Too
October is also Liver Cancer Month. Hepatocellular carcinoma incidence rates have more than tripled since 1980, making early risk awareness more important than ever.

💊 Early Action Saves Lives
Many liver diseases are reversible if caught early, which is why the month’s central message is so simple: find out if you are at risk, learn what to ask your doctor, and take the necessary steps to take charge of your liver health.

WAYS TO CELEBRATE

📋 Take the Liver Health Quiz
Take the American Liver Foundation’s free one-minute liver health quiz at ThinkLiverThinkLife.org, available in English and Spanish, to understand your risk for liver disease or liver cancer.

🥗 Try a Liver-Healthy Recipe
Cook one of the recipes from the American Liver Foundation’s 30-day Liver Healthy Meal Plan, and see how good caring for your liver can taste.

💬 Advocate and Share
Share the quiz with someone you love, advocate for legislation that improves the lives of people affected by liver disease, and help replace stigma with understanding, one conversation at a time.

Celebrate National Liver Awareness Month

All through October 2027, give your liver the attention it quietly deserves. Take the quiz, try a healthy recipe, and stand with the millions of Americans living with liver disease. Many liver diseases are reversible if caught early, so do not wait until it is too late. This October, think liver, think life, and take the first positive step.