Liver Supplements

About Liver Supplements

The liver is the largest internal organ of the human body and is located just up and under the right side of the rib cage. The liver performs many important functions to maintain health and wellbeing, such as the removal of toxins, manufacture of bile, synthesis of cholesterol and the conversion of glycerol to glucose. In medicine, the first-pass effect refers to the fact that anything consumed orally, once aborbed, passes through the liver first before entering general circulation, demonstrating just how high the liver's workload really is.

The liver needs optimal nutritional support on a daily basis to support the many essential activities that it performs. Unfortunately, some commonly consumed foods and drinks negatively impact liver health, such as alcohol and high fructose content foods and drinks. A recent review published in Nutrients in 2017, indicated that a high fructose consumption is linked to elevated blood triglycerides, hepatic insulin resistance, increased uric acid and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. These may contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, gout and liver complications. Fortunately, not all fructose needs to be cut from the diet in order to keep the liver healthy, as this sugar is naturally found in fruit. It is believed that the added fructose in processed foods are the main issue, such as corn syrup and sucrose (table sugar), due to the high level of consumption compared to natural whole foods.  

Minimising alcohol, or avoiding it entirely, is important when the liver needs additional support. Some of the most common herbal medicines and nutrients used to support liver function are St Mary's Thistle, Dandelion Root, Taurine and Choline. Interestingly, taurine and choline are constituents of tauroglycocholic acid, an important part of bile. The bile manufactured by the liver is stored and concentrated to ten times potency in the gallbladder, then ejected into the intestines to emulsify fats—the first phase of fat digestion. If the gallbladder is surgically removed, fat digestion is impaired. This may negatively impact essential fatty acid status, especially the omega 3 fatty acids (linolenic acid, EPA, DHA), and the fat soluble vitamins, which are vitamins A, D, E and K (K1 and K2).

Choline is an important part of phosphatidylcholine, a phospholipid located in the hepatocyte (liver cell) cell membrane. This is the site where many liver detoxification enzymes are located. In fact, phosphatidylcholine has been clinically trialled for decades in animals and humans, and shown to be safe and effective in supporting liver regeneration. Though it has traditionally been extracted from egg yolks, many of the new products are derived from soy or sunflower seeds that are GMO Free. 

St Mary's Thistle is a powerful liver protectant and antioxidant, which helps to improve its detoxifying ability. Most of the detoxification processes of the entire body are undertaken in the liver, where it packages up chemicals and other unrequired substances and prepares them for exit via the kidneys or the bowel. The liver is an incredible organ that helps us digest food properly, regulate our blood sugar levels, support bowel motions, detoxify and much more. Fortunately, liver tissue has the ability to regenerate (unless cirrhosis), though this is no excuse for neglect!