Love your liver

MANILA, Philippines – The nutraceutical revolution has captured the fancy of most Filipinos raring to reap the benefits of these supplements which supposedly contain beneficial natural remedies. The trend, however, continues to spiral out of control with unscrupulous parties flooding the market with a variety of products that promise boundless benefits but ultimately deliver nothing less than the effects of a placebo pill.

One of the high-profile supplements on the market today is silymarin, which has been touted as an effective aid for the liver. As a vital organ in the human body, the liver plays a major role in metabolism of sugar, proteins, and fats as well as in digestion and in the detoxification of metabolic wastes.

As an active substance of plant origin, silymarin has been found by several scientific studies as a stabilizer of cell membrane capable of protecting the liver from noxious influences and of restoring or revitalizing liver cells which have previously been damaged. Its effects include improvement in general condition, lessening of digestive problems, and increasing the appetite and body weight of patients whose general condition and nutritional state have been impaired by liver disease. 

The US-National Institutes of Health has chosen silymarin to be of special interest for its manifold experimental and clinical findings, which point to therapeutic potentials for delaying or inhibiting chronic damage to the liver.

But consumers should also be forewarned that not all supplements or medications containing silymarin are made equal. A certain medication containing silymarin offers five modes of action which have been clinically proven to provide specific therapy for the liver.

The five modes of action are: membrane stability, or the incorporation of silymarin into the liver cell membrane for further protection; antioxidant effect, or the inhibition of cell damage and maintenance of detoxifying substances; anti-inflammatory, or the inhibition of enzymes producing inflammation mediators; anti-fibrotic effect, or the prevention of liver cell necrosis and inflammation by free radical scavenging; and regenerative effect, or the stimulation of cell regeneration.

This medication’s multiple action mechanism works synergistically to offer total protection for the liver, most especially for patients suffering from liver cirrhosis, diabetes, and other liver diseases. Each 140 mg. capsule contains 140 mg. silymarin in 173-186 mg. dried extract of milk thistle fruit. It is specifically indicated as a supportive treatment for chronic inflammatory diseases of the liver and cirrhosis.

Among the various clinical trials that have confirmed the efficacy of this type of silymarin is the randomized, double blind placebo controlled study by Ferenci, P. et al, which demonstrated that long-term treatment reduced the mortality of patients with cirrhosis. A 20-percent increase in survival rate was noted in patients who took this silymarin for at least 55 months.

Another study, conducted by Di Mario, F. et al, reported that after two months of silymarin treatment (dose 140 mg.), patients with alcoholic liver diseases (hepatic steatosis, alcoholic hepatitis, and even alcoholic liver cirrhosis) showed a positive effect in reducing liver damage.   A study by Velussi, M, et al meanwhile proved that treatment with silymarin resulted in improved glucose metabolism in diabetics with alcoholic cirrhosis, reduced insulin need in diabetics with alcoholic cirrhosis; reduced fasting blood glucose levels and mean daily blood glucose after four months of treatment.

The efficacy of this silymarin can be explained by its high bioavailability. Among several batches of silymarin preparations available on the market, this product exhibited the highest concentration. While other preparations range from as low as 20 percent to as high as 45 percent, this silymarin’s silibinin concentration is highest at 50 percent. It remarkably outperforms other silymarins by releasing 90 percent in just a matter of 45 minutes.

For more information about the silymarin preparation manufactured by Rottapharm-Madaus of Germany and marketed by Pharmalink (PL Asia Pacific Phils. Inc.), consult your doctor or call the information hotline 459-2537.