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Liver Detox

Liver Detox: Supplements, Drinks, and Diet from a Functional Medicine Perspective

Functional medicine emphasizes a holistic approach to health, focusing on the root causes of disease and promoting overall well-being through personalized dietary and lifestyle changes. Liver detoxification is a key area within functional medicine, aiming to enhance liver function and overall metabolic health. This article explores various supplements, drinks, and dietary strategies that support liver detoxification from a functional medicine perspective.

Key Supplements for Liver Detox

  1. Catechins, Theaflavins, and Ginger Extract A functional drink based on catechins, theaflavins, and ginger freeze-dried extract has shown significant mitigation of hepatic abnormalities in rat models. These compounds are known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which help in improving liver health (Kashif et al., 2021).

  2. Licorice Ethanol Extract (LEE) Licorice ethanol extract has been found to improve liver fat accumulation in obese mice fed a high-fat diet by modulating gut microbiota and intestinal metabolites. This highlights the potential benefits of licorice as a liver detox supplement (Liu et al., 2022).

  3. L-Carnitine L-Carnitine supplementation has led to significant reductions in liver enzymes, blood sugar, and body weight in individuals with metabolic syndrome and obesity-related conditions like non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). It supports liver detoxification and metabolic health (Prakash et al., 2023).

  4. Sesamol Sesamol supplementation has shown protective effects against nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and atherosclerosis in rats fed a high-fat, high-carbohydrate, and high-cholesterol diet. It can be beneficial as a dietary supplement for combating liver conditions related to poor diet (Yang et al., 2021).

  5. Seabuckthorn Polysaccharide (SP) Seabuckthorn polysaccharide supplementation reduced body weight gain, serum lipid levels, and liver triglycerides in obese mice. It also positively impacted the gut microbiome, suggesting its potential as a nutraceutical for liver health through the gut-liver axis (Lan et al., 2022).

Detox Drinks and Functional Foods

  1. Functional Flavored Drinking Yoghurt with Curcuma Functional flavored drinking yoghurt fortified with herbal extracts like Curcuma demonstrated high antioxidant activity and hepatoprotective effects in rats with liver injury. This suggests that such functional drinks can support liver detoxification (Ahmed et al., 2020).

  2. Sanglan Tea (SLT) Sanglan Tea, rich in quercetin and kaempferol analogs, has shown potential in preventing high-fat-diet-induced NAFLD and obesity-related complications. It can be consumed as a liver detox drink to support metabolic health (Guruvaiah et al., 2018).

  3. Cereal Bars Sweetened with Stevia Leaves Cereal bars sweetened with stevia leaves pretreated with ethanol were found to reduce liver fat in diabetic rats. This indicates that functional food products like these can aid in liver detoxification (Silva et al., 2020).

Dietary Strategies

  1. Low Glycemic Load Diet A diet with a low glycemic load helps maintain stable blood sugar levels and reduces the risk of complications associated with liver health. It supports the liver’s detoxification processes by reducing the metabolic burden (Soldea, 2016).

  2. Monounsaturated Fat and Low Carbohydrate Diet Diets high in monounsaturated fats and low in carbohydrates have been shown to improve plasma glucose, lipid, and insulin profiles. This dietary approach supports liver health by reducing fat accumulation and improving metabolic functions (Sheard, 2009).

  3. Artichoke (Cynara scolymus) Supplements and diets incorporating bioactive compounds from artichoke offer potential benefits for liver detox and overall health. Artichoke has been shown to enhance liver function and support detoxification (Porro et al., 2024).

Conclusion

Functional medicine provides a comprehensive approach to liver detoxification through the use of targeted supplements, functional drinks, and dietary strategies. By incorporating compounds like catechins, theaflavins, L-carnitine, sesamol, and seabuckthorn polysaccharides, and adopting diets low in glycemic load and high in beneficial fats, individuals can support their liver health and overall metabolic function. These holistic strategies ensure that liver detoxification is effective and sustainable, promoting long-term health and well-being.

References

  1. Kashif, M., Imran, A., Saeed, F., Chatha, S. A., & Arshad, M. (2021). Catechins, theaflavins and ginger freeze-dried extract based functional drink significantly mitigate the hepatic, diabetic and lipid abnormalities in rat model. Current Molecular Biology Reports, https://dx.doi.org/10.14715/CMB/2021.67.1.20
  2. Liu, F., Tang, X., Mao, B., Zhang, Q., Zhao, J., Cui, S., & Chen, W. (2022). Ethanol Extract of Licorice Alleviates HFD-Induced Liver Fat Accumulation in Association with Modulation of Gut Microbiota and Intestinal Metabolites in Obesity Mice. Nutrients, https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu14194180
  3. Prakash, N., Ghosal, S., & Maity, M. (2023). A Review on Therapeutic Effects of L-Carnitine: An Update. Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, https://dx.doi.org/10.17762/jaz.v44is6.2700
  4. Yang, Y., Qu, Y., Lv, X., Zhao, R., Yu, J., Hu, S., Kang, J.-S., Zhang, Y., Gong, Y., Cui, T., Zhang, X., & Yan, Y. (2021). Sesamol supplementation alleviates nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and atherosclerosis in high-fat, high carbohydrate and high-cholesterol diet-fed rats. Food & Function, https://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d1fo01517f
  5. Lan, Y., Sun, Q., Ma, Z., Peng, J., Zhang, M., Wang, C., Zhang, X., Yan, X., Chang, L., Hou, X., Qiao, R., Mulati, A., Zhou, Y., Zhang, Q., & Liu, Z. (2022). Seabuckthorn polysaccharide ameliorates high-fat diet-induced obesity by gut microbiota-SCFAs-liver axis. Food & Function, https://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d1fo03147c
  6. Ahmed, M. A., Elbatawy, O., Abdel Fattah, S. T., Gohari, S. T., & El-Dsouky, W. I. (2020). Production of Function yogurts drink fortified with different types of herbal extracts and study its biological attributes in hepatitis rats. Asian Journal of Sports, https://dx.doi.org/10.21608/ajs.2020.24394.1172
  7. Guruvaiah, P., Guo, H., Li, D., & Xie, Z. (2018). Preventive Effect of Flavonol Derivatives Abundant Sanglan Tea on Long-Term High-Fat-Diet-Induced Obesity Complications in C57BL/6 Mice. Nutrients, https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu10091276
  8. Silva, S. B., Martins, L. M., Piovan, S., Milan, P., Silva, J. P., Seixas, F., Mareze-Costa, C., & Costa, S. C. (2020). Cereal bar sweetened with stevia leaves reduces fatty liver in diabetic rats. Revista Brasileira de Ciências Agrárias, https://dx.doi.org/10.5039/AGRARIA.V15I4A8688
  9. Porro, C., Benameur, T., Cianciulli, A., Vacca, M., Chiarini, M., De Angelis, M., & Panaro, M. (2024). Functional and Therapeutic Potential of Cynara scolymus in Health Benefits. Nutrients, https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu16060872
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