Supplement Combination Improves Liver Health

by | Jul 29, 2016 | 2012, Alcohol, Cinnamon, Liver Health, Milk Thistle (Silymarin)

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Study participants with nonalcoholic liver disease, who supplemented with a combination of silybin, phosphatidylcholine, and vitamin E for 12 months, had significant improvements in insulin resistance (20.6%) and in liver enzymes MMP-2 and TGF-beta (2% and 38% respectively) compared to control.

liver healthNonalcoholic fatty liver disease, also known as alcohol steatohepatitis, affects 2 to 5% of Americans. It resembles alcoholic liver disease (fat in the liver, along with inflammation and liver damage) but occurs in people who drink little or no alcohol. Regarded as a “silent” liver disease because most people feel well and are not aware that they have a liver problem, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease can lead to cirrhosis, permanently damaging the liver, if left untreated (1).

There is currently no effective therapy for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease other than lifestyle modification (2) that focuses on blood sugar control and minimizing cell damage (3, 4). While a 2014 study showed that 1,500 milligrams of cinnamon benefited those with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (5), a 2012 study (6) suggests a supplement combination may also be a benefit.

The study involved 138 subjects (95 men, 43 women) aged 30 to 50 with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. They received a supplement combination containing 94 milligrams of silybin (the main ingredient in milk thistle), 194 mg phosphatidylcholine, and 89.29 mg of vitamin E acetate which contained 30 mg of alpha-tocopherol (67 subjects) or a placebo (“extra white saccharine” = 71 subjects) twice daily for 12 months. Liver health was assessed with blood samples drawn before and after the study.

After 12 months, a measure of blood sugar control and insulin health called HOMA improved by 18.7% in the supplement group (5.9 to 4.8) compared to a 1.9% decrease in the placebo group (5.5 to 5.4, p < 0.05). In addition, those in the supplement group had a 52% decrease in a liver enzyme called MMP-2 (compared to a 20% decrease in the placebo group, p < 0.05) and a 50% decrease in another liver enzyme called TGF-beta (compared to an 18% decrease in the placebo group, p < 0.05). This signals an improvement in liver health by decreasing liver scarring known as “liver fibrogenesis”.

For the researchers, “nonalcoholic fatty liver disease patients treated for 12 months exhibited improvements in [liver enzymes], insulin resistance, and liver cell health” but that “These findings warrant further investigation.” 

Source: Loguercio, Carmela, Pietro Andreone, Ciprian Brisc, Michaela Cristina Brisc, Elisabetta Bugianesi, Maria Chiaramonte, Carmela Cursaro et al. “Silybin combined with phosphatidylcholine and vitamin E in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a randomized controlled trial.” Free Radical Biology and Medicine 52, no. 9 (2012): 1658-1665.

© 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Posted July 29, 2016.

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.

References:

  1. “Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis” posted on the NIH’s National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC)
  2. Loria, P.; Adinolfi, L. E.; Bellentani, S.; Bugianesi, E.; Grieco, A.; Fargion, S.;Gasbarrini, A.; Loguercio, C.; Lonardo, A.; Marchesini, G.; Marra, F.; Persico, M.; Prati, D.; Baroni, G. S. NAFLD Expert Committee of the Associazione Italiana per lo Studio del Fegato. Practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a decalogue from the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver (AISF) Expert Committee. Dig. Liver Dis. 42:272–282; 2010.
  3. Sanyal, A. J.; Chalasani, N.; Kowdley, K. V.; McCullough, A.; Diehl, A. M.; Bass, N. M.; Neuschwander-Tetri, B. A.; Lavine, J. E.; Tonascia, J.; Unalp, A.; Van Natta, M.; Clark, J.; Brunt, E. M.; Kleiner, D. E.; Hoofnagle, J. H.; Robuck, P. R.; NASH CRN Pioglitazone, vitamin E, or placebo for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. N. Engl. J. Med. 362:1675–1685; 2010.
  4. Musso,G.; Gambino, R.; Cassader, M.; Pagano, G. A meta-analysis of randomized trials for the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Hepatology 52:79–104; 2010.Askari F. Cinnamon may have therapeutic benefits on lipid profile, liver enzymes, insulin resistance, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease patients. Nutr Res. 2014 Feb;34(2):143-8. doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2013.11.005. Epub 2013 Dec 6
  5. Askari F. Cinnamon may have therapeutic benefits on lipid profile, liver enzymes, insulin resistance, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease patients. Nutr Res. 2014 Feb;34(2):143-8. doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2013.11.005. Epub 2013 Dec 6.
  6. Loguerico C. Silybin combined with phosphatidylcholine and vitamin E in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a randomized controlled trial. Free Radic Biol Med 2012 May 1;52(9):1658-65. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2012.02.008. Epub 201