Is There a Supplement That Can Reverse Fatty Liver?

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD, is a common liver problem.

The number of people with NALFD is rising across the world, including in America. Experts estimate that between 30 and 40% of American adults and up to 10% of American children have the disorder.

Although there is no cure for NAFLD and no FDA-approved medications for the disease, certain supplements may help to treat it.

We have read through recent medical journals to find the most recent information on which supplements have the best data behind them to bring you the top 6 best supplements to treat NAFLD.

What is Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease?

NAFLD refers to the buildup of extra fat in the cells of the liver.

A fatty liver is often linked to alcohol use, leading to a condition called alcoholic fatty liver disease.

However, in NAFLD, the fatty liver is not due to excessive drinking.

Doctors do not think that having fat in the liver in and of itself is dangerous in most cases.

However, over time, a simple fatty liver may progress to other, more dangerous, liver conditions.

What causes NAFLD?

Many different medical conditions can raise your risk of NAFLD. In general, NAFLD is linked to obesity and associated health conditions, like diabetes.

Conditions that may cause the disorder include:

• Obesity, especially in people who have a large waist
• Diabetes or prediabetes
• High cholesterol
• High triglycerides
• High blood pressure
• Poor diet
• Rapid weight loss
• Gastric bypass surgery

Some medications linked to fatty liver include:

• Amiodarone, sold under the brand names Nexterone and Pacerone: a drug used in the heart rhythm problem atrial fibrillation
• Diltiazem, sold under the brand name Cardizem: a drug used for blood pressure
• Steroids: drugs taken for conditions like inflammatory disease
• Antiretrovirals: drugs taken to fight HIV and AIDS
• Methotrexate, sold under the brand name Trexall: a drug used for cancer and certain other conditions like rheumatoid arthritis
• Estrogens: a hormone used by women for birth control and postmenopausal symptoms
• Tamoxifen, sold under the brand name Soltamox: a drug used for breast cancer
• Valproic acid, sold under the brand name Depakote: a drug used for seizures and some mood problems like depression and bipolar disorder

Other factors are linked to NAFLD.

Although the condition can occur at any age, it is more likely to develop as people get older.

Certain ethnicities are also linked to the development of NAFLD. People of Hispanic and non-Hispanic white origin are more likely to develop NAFLD than people of African-American or Asian origin.

What Are the symptoms of NAFLD?

Most people have no symptoms from NAFLD. However, when symptoms occur, they may lead to you feeling:

• More tired than usual
• Pain in the upper right part of the abdomen

Because the disease rarely has symptoms, people may not even know they have it until they have an abnormal blood test.

Lab tests ordered by your doctor can help to show how well your liver is working. In NAFLD, some of these tests may indicate that there is a liver problem.

Specifically, the liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) may have abnormal levels in NAFLD, leading your doctor to suspect a problem.

Your doctor may then order additional imaging tests like an ultrasound, MRI or CT scan to help them diagnose NAFLD.

It is important to note, however, that sometimes people can have NAFLD although their liver enzymes may be normal.

When a doctor diagnoses NAFLD, other conditions that can cause a fatty liver must first be ruled out. These include:

• Heavy alcohol use
• Viral hepatitis
• Autoimmune liver disease
• Metabolic liver disease
• Inherited liver disease

Treatments for Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Although no medications have been approved to treat NAFLD, the disease can be treated with a variety of strategies:

• Weight loss (for people who are overweight)
• Eating a low-salt, healthy diet
• Avoiding alcohol
• Keeping physically active
• Treating health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high triglycerides
• Getting vaccinated against liver diseases like hepatitis A and hepatitis B

How Dangerous Is Fatty Liver?

Most people do not go on to develop health problems from NAFLD.

That said, studies have shown that people with NAFLD are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than people without the disorder.

In addition, in rare cases, people with NAFLD may progress to a more dangerous disease called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH. This disorder is a type of NAFLD in which the liver is not only fatty, but also has cell damage and inflammation.

Over time, this inflammation can lead to liver scarring, a condition called fibrosis.

NASH can go on to cause cirrhosis, a potentially fatal condition where the liver has extensive scarring and can no longer work properly. NASH can also cause liver cancer, another potentially deadly condition.

Doctors are not sure why some people go on to develop NASH.

Overall, about 3 to 12% of American adults are estimated to have NASH.

Doctors diagnose this condition using a liver biopsy, in which a small piece of liver tissue is removed to be tested. If the tissue contains only fat, the person may have simple NAFLD.

However, if the sample contains fat as well as signs of inflammation and sometimes scarring, the person might have NASH.

A liver biopsy is the only way to detect inflammation and, therefore, the only way NASH can be diagnosed. NASH treatment can involve options such as a liver transplant.

Can Supplements Help Treat NAFLD?

Some supplements and nutrients may help to treat NAFLD.

However, because certain herbs can damage your liver, it is important to tell your doctor before you start to take any over the counter treatment for NAFLD.

Supplements with the best data for their use in NAFLD include:

• Silymarin: This chemical is one of the active ingredients in milk thistle and is one of the best-studied herbal supplements. It has been tested at doses of 150 to 450mg a day. Studies have shown that it improves the liver enzymes AST and ALT, which are often abnormal in NAFLD. Further, silymarin has been shown to make the liver less fatty, as proven on ultrasound. Doctors think it works in various ways, including by having antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
• Curcumin: This chemical is the active ingredient in turmeric. It has been studied at doses ranging from 400 to 2000mg a day. Curcumin has been shown to reduce the amount of fat in the liver. It has also been shown to improve the levels of the liver enzymes AST and ALT. Some experts believe it might help prevent the progression of NAFLD to NASH due to these factors.
• Anthocyanins: These chemicals are found in supplements like grape seed extract. One study showed that anthocyanins at a dose of 400 mg improved liver enzymes in people with NAFLD.
• Berberine: This chemical is found in a variety of herbs like goldenseal. It has been studied at a dose of 500mg daily and was shown to improve lab values linked to fatty liver.
• Carnitine: Derived from amino acids, the chemicals which are the building blocks of life, carnitine improved liver enzymes in people with NAFLD after 3 months of use as well as overall liver function in people with NASH.

The Top 6 Supplements For Fatty Liver

We have looked into the clinical data and ingredients of some of the best-selling supplements for liver health on Amazon. The name of each supplement is linked to the product on Amazon.

We have also included a description of why the supplement was one of our top-ranked choices.