It is vital to keeping life, as the name implies. As one of the largest internal organs, the liver is responsible for digestion by producing bile, which converts food into nutrients cells require. Additionally, liver supplements remove waste products from the body to keep it healthy. Specifically, the liver produces urea when it breaks down ammonia, which is then excreted in urine by the kidneys.
In addition to excreting bilirubin, which is generated by the breakdown of haemoglobin, the liver also removes bilirubin from the body. A liver can regenerate after an injury, making it an incredible organ with liver supplements. Nevertheless, it’s susceptible to various diseases and infections, including viral infections like hepatitis A, B and C, that can cause long-term liver damage.
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 2% of American adults have chronic liver disease or cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is caused by an excess build-up of scar tissue in the liver. Taking a liver supplement may be a good idea if you are concerned about the health of your liver. It can result from an injury, an infection, or chronic alcohol abuse.
According to Emily Rice, a staff dietitian at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Centre, these products can include a variety of herbal ingredients that are marketed as supporting liver health. However, it is unclear whether they do indeed support liver health. According to Rice, liver supplements are marketed as supporting the liver by detoxifying it, undoing damage to its cells, and increasing blood flow.
Nevertheless, our liver plays an important role in metabolising sugar, fat, alcohol, and medications, making it one of the most important organs in our body. As a result of its natural detoxifying process, milk thistle, or Silybum marianum, is a prickly herb that is sometimes used in herbal remedies. It flushes food byproducts out of the body through urine and stool. A healthy individual does not need supplements to aid this process.
Due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, it is the most common ingredient in liver supplements, says Hyatt. Milk thistle acts as an antioxidant to protect liver cells from free radicals produced when toxins are metabolised in the liver. Free radicals damage tissues. It must be made clear whether milk thistle works, despite its popularity.
According to Hyatt, a few studies have shown that milk thistle can reduce liver enzymes. However, a larger systematic review in 2017 revealed that these improvements were not clinically significant. In 2007, Hyatt wrote that “a lack of high-quality evidence undermined the benefits of milk thistle when used for liver disease caused by viral hepatitis or alcohol,” according to a 2007 review of “literature”.