There must be 50 ways to love your liver, here are two

[HysteryDiagnosis]

The use of selected nutrition supplements and complementary and alternative medicine in liver disease.

* Hanje AJ,
* Fortune B,
* Song M,
* Hill D,
* McClain C.

Department of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.

Almost all patients with liver disease, especially advanced liver disease, have some evidence of malnutrition, including mineral/vitamin deficiency. A major health trend in the United States has been the significant growth in the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), including nutrition supplements and herbal agents. In the 1990s, the United States government created the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), as well as the Office on Dietary Supplements, to extend our knowledge in these areas. CAM users are often highly educated and frequently use CAM therapy for chronic diseases, including chronic liver disease. Indeed, most studies suggest that patients with chronic liver disease frequently use nutrition supplements and CAM agents in addition to their traditional medicines. The purpose of this review is to provide an update on the role of nutrition supplements and herbals in liver disease. This article will focus mainly on 7 selected agents (vitamin E, zinc, magnesium, S-adenosylmethionine, betaine, silymarin, and glycyrrhizin), for which there have been not only in vitro and animal studies but also human clinical trials, and we will review both potential efficacy and safety issues.

PMID: 16772543

* Malinska D,
* Winiarska K.

Zaklad Regulacji Metabolizmu, Instytut Biochemii, Uniwersytet Warszawski.

Lipoic acid (LA) and its reduced form dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA, are present in all prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Lipoic acid was once considered a vitamin, but now it is commonly accepted that it can be synthesized de novo in human cells. LA has long been known as a coenzyme of multienzymatic complexes catalyzing the decarboxylation of alpha-ketoacids, but the present investigations are focused on its antioxidative properties. Both LA and DHLA have proved to be potent free radicals scavengers and metal chelators. They are also responsible for the regeneration of active forms of other cellular antioxidants, including vitamins C and E. Moreover, lipoic acid is involved in the regulation of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. LA is easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, is able to cross the blood-brain barrier, and does not exhibit any serious side effects. All these features make lipoic acid a very promising drug. Nowadays, this compound is used in the treatment of diabetic neuropathy, fungi, and metal poisoning, as well as in liver disorders. The application of lipoic acid in treating other diseases, including hypertension and autoimmunological disorders, needs careful evaluation.

PMID: 16407792

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Yep

I read and recognized a couple: sylimarin and lipoic acid. My husband was diagnosed with Hep. C in 2001-he was at the beginning stages of cirroses. My MD is a holistic practitioner, and told him they'd try IVs at first, using lipoic acid and vitamin C, plus some herbs and other things. He did the IV twice a week for a year; blood tests showed his liver functions coming back to normal. Now he has an IV about every six months-his bellirubin is one point high, doc thinks from scarring, and she's working on that. He's also taking something new to make sure that damaged cells don't become cancerous-last blood work included a new test that indicated some cells aren't quite up to snuff, as it were. I emailed him this thread, and thank you for it.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. It's not much of a thread, but here is something written by

docs who could sit down and have a non-alcoholic beer with your doc....

http://www.lef.org/protocols/infections/hepatitis_c_01.htm

When PPC is administered in conjunction with interferon, there is an increase in both their therapeutic values. In one study, patients with hepatitis C were given interferon (3 million IU, three times a week for 24 weeks) and either placebo or PPC (1.8 g daily). Researchers measured ALT levels and defined a response as a reduction of at least 50 percent. They found 71 percent of study participants taking PPC experienced a 50 percent drop in ALT, compared to 51 percent on placebo (Niederau C et al 1998).

In another study, a complex of silymarin (milk thistle) and PPC was given to people with chronic active hepatitis. After seven days, 20 patients observed decreases in AST, ALT, and GGT. In addition, bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase levels dropped.

Selenium. Numerous studies have documented low levels of selenium in hepatitis C patients, and when used in conjunction with other antioxidants, it has been shown to reduce oxidative stress in the liver. The level of selenium depletion appears to correspond to disease severity: the more advanced the liver damage, the greater the degree of depletion. One study found that cirrhotic hepatitis C patients had significantly lower levels of selenium, glutathione, and vitamins A, C, and E than noncirrhotic patients and that all hepatitis C patients had lower levels of these antioxidants than age-matched healthy controls (Jain SK et al 2002). Another study examined untreated hepatitis C patients and found that levels of selenium and zinc were significantly reduced and overall antioxidant status was lower in hepatitis C patients than in healthy controls (Ko WS et al 2005).

Hepatitis C
Boosting Liver Glutathione Levels

Glutathione is the most important antioxidant used and manufactured by the liver. It kills bacterial invaders, acts as a cellular detoxifier, and helps prevent damage from free radicals. In patients with hepatitis C, particularly those who are HIV positive, a systemic depletion of glutathione is observed, especially in the liver. This depletion may be a factor underlying the resistance to interferon therapy and a biological basis for supplementing with the following nutrients that raise glutathione levels (Moriya K et al 2001):

* N-acetyl-cysteine. N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) is derived from L-cysteine, a conditionally essential amino acid. NAC is more efficiently absorbed and also acts as an antioxidant.
* S-adenosyl-L-methionine. S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) is an effective antidepressant that also helps regenerate normal liver function by increasing glutathione levels and decreasing the activity of free radicals. It is one of the most important liver-protecting substances in the body.
* Lipoic acid. This acid is used by almost every tissue in the body as a free-radical fighter. It also helps regenerate other essential antioxidants and acts as a metal chelator.
* Whey protein isolate. This protein boosts glutathione levels and improves the functioning of the immune system. The fact that hepatitis C often becomes active in people after they reach the age of 40 indicates that age-associated immune decline plays an important role in the progression of the disease.