Alcohol and the Liver in the New Year
Fortunately, many options are available in the natural products market for those who need to take care of a damaged or overworked liver. Planning for the holiday season is well under way around the world, and health supplement retail stores are no different. As many natural products designed to support the liver are most beneficial in prevention and not just reaction, these few quiet moments before the holiday storm represent the best opportunity for retailers to offer the products their customers need to avoid both hangovers and liver diseases, as well as detoxify after those wild New Year's parties.
The Effects of Alcohol on the Liver
All foods and beverages swallowed and absorbed in the bloodstream pass through the liver, which is the only organ that really metabolizes alcohol (up to 20 percent is exhaled). Once in the liver, alcohol can be converted into immediate energy or fat, but is not converted into glucose for use or storage. Only a certain quantity of alcohol can be processed by the liver over a period of time. Any excess alcohol is stored in the liver or other parts of the body, and when stored as fat in the liver, cirrhosis or tissue scarring can result. Also, when the liver is concentrated on detoxifying alcohol for hours on end, its attention and resources are taken from its other functions, which include regulating the supply of blood fuel, manufacturing essential proteins, producing bile for toxin elimination digestion and regulating hormone balance and cholesterol.
When the liver does become damaged by alcohol, the rest of the body also suffers the consequences, including lack of nutrients and excess waste (toxins) in the blood. Symptoms and conditions of a liver damaged by alcohol include fatigue, loss of appetite, lowered resistance to infections, jaundice, swelling in the abdomen, intestinal bleeding, brain dysfunction and kidney failure.
The major liver diseases caused by alcohol abuse are cirrhosis and alcohol hepatitis. Cirrhosis involves the replacement of healthy liver cells by non-functioning, fibrous tissues. While cirrhosis is the result of long term drinking habits coupled with other disease-causing factors, alcohol hepatitis can be experienced by social drinkers, according to the American Liver Foundation (ALF). Alcoholic hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that lasts one to two weeks and features symptoms such as loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and tenderness, fever, jaundice and sometimes mental confusion. This form of hepatitis can lead to cirrhosis after a number of years, but it isn't a certainty.
Although nearly three-quarters of liver cells can be non-functioning before a person recognizes the symptoms, early detection is possible by way of regular check-ups. This assumes that a person is aware and considerate about this risk level for alcohol-related liver disease. If caught early, and if abstinence from alcohol is achieved, liver cells can return to normal, owing to the liver's ability to regenerate itself. Specific nutritional support and natural remedies can also help those who are at risk or who suffer from the early stages of liver damage.
Milk Thistle and Other Nutrients
At the head of the class of natural product ingredients indicated to aid in liver damage due to alcohol is milk thistle. This herb is known to nutritionally support normal liver function and has been shown to positively affect liver diseases, including cirrhosis, hepatitis, necroses and other liver damage caused by drugs and alcohol. Milk thistle is said to inhibit factors responsible for liver damage and to stimulate production of new liver cells to replace damaged cells. Specifically, a collection of flavonoids called silymarin is considered the active ingredient responsible for milk thistle's efficacy. This group of flavonoids consists of silidianin, silicristin and silibinin, which is the most active part of silymarin. The greatest concentrations of silymarin are in the seeds, which can be used for powdered or liquid extracts.
Experts contend that this flavonoid collective alters cell membrane structure, blocking the absorption of toxins into the cells. It is also believed that this ingredient has the ability to increase the intercellular concentration of glutathione, which is required for detoxifying reactions in liver cells. Additionally, silymarin is a potent antioxidant and is involved in enzyme and catalytic activities of the liver.
As a result of its compound effects, milk thistle is a featured ingredient in many natural products designed for liver protection and improvement. Metabolic Response Modifiers (MRM), based in Newport Beach, Calif., manufactures LiveRx, a supplement that contains a patent pending silymarin that is treated to increase absorption six-fold, as well as alpha lipoic acid and N-acetylcysteine(NAC). While the silymarin protects liver cells, the alpha lipoic acid can regenerate the antioxidants vitamin E and C and glutathione for further use after they have destroyed free radicals. The NAC is included for its role as a building block for glutathione, which is a powerful antioxidant that helps reduce liver cell damage due to alcohol, drugs, insecticides and other toxins. Other ingredients include Picrorhiza kurroa and Andographis paniculata, two herbs used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for liver support.
Although LiveRx is sold mostly to pharmacist who pair the product with xeno-biotics, it can be very useful for party-goers. "People at natural product trade shows ask us for samples to take before they go out partying at night," said Marc Olson, vice president of research and development for MRM. "LiveRx enables their liver to handle much higher loads of alcohol metabolism, which involves neurotoxins that are responsible for altered judgement when under the influence."
Originally called HepaTox, this supplement underwent a name change and added a few patent pending ingredients. Also, the supplement is currently being used in a trial conducted in New Mexico involving patients listed as candidates for liver transplant. Though results aren't expected until the Summer of 2000, preliminary results show that LiveRx is helping patients' own enzyme functions return to high enough levels that could make transplantation unnecessary, according to Olson.
Irvine, Calif.-based Liverite Products also manufactures a dietary supplement designed to protect and improve liver functions, especially in relation to alcohol and toxin abuse. The company's product, Liverite, is comprised of liver hydrolysate, 17 amino acids, calcium, potassium, iron, cysteine, choline and inositol. The formula also features vitamin B12 and niacin, which can help counter the B vitamin deficiency that often surfaces in those who drink heavily and frequently.
In addition to formulas designed for liver problems, nutritional support can help protect against alcohol overindulgence and improve conditions caused by alcohol. Elson Haas, M.D., warns that even the best diet and supplement program will not fully protect against the toxic effects of alcohol. According to Haas, when the liver has to deal with alcohol metabolism, fried foods, rancid or hydrogenated fats and various drugs should be avoided, as they are hard on the liver. He noted that carbohydrates delay alcohol absorption, which keeps excess alcohol from entering the bloodstream, as do fat-protein snacks such as milk or cheese. According to Haas, some people drink a little olive oil before alcohol consumption to coat their stomachs so they better handle drinking, but a few capsules of evening primrose oil would serve a similar purpose. He suggests that in addition to drinking water, which combats the dehydrating effects of alcohol, vitamin C along with a B complex could also help stave off that millennium-sized hangover many will suffer this New Year's. Overall, alcoholic consumers need more nutrients than non-drinkers to protect from malnutrition.
With proper nutritional preparation and the help of liver support formulas, consumers can avoid the major problems that could occur from a season of frequent and excessive alcoholic drinking. Judging by the size and scope of the New Year's Eve celebrations already planned and sold-out around the world, the time is now for health supplement retailers to arm their customers with the natural products they need to make it to the year 2000 in as healthy a condition as possible.