Inconclusive evidence of liver supplement benefit

Investigators explored the burgeoning online market for “cleansing” liver supplements backed by mixed data on their efficacy.

In a study published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology, the investigators analyzed the sales and revenue data, marketing claims, components and studies focused on the effectiveness of the ingredients of the 20 bestselling liver cleansing supplements available on an online retailer.

The investigators noted that the liver supplements earned upward of $38 million in annual revenue. Although all of the supplements asserted that they were capable of detoxifying the liver, their ingredients — among them milk thistle, dandelion, turmeric root, zinc, artichoke extract, choline, ginger and berberine — were found to offer only moderate and mixed results in the most favorable analyses. As a result, the investigators concluded that scientific evidence substantiating these claims seems to be inconclusive.

Despite their popularity, the investigators emphasized that greater regulatory measures may be needed to ensure the safety of the products and manage their marketing claims. Clinicians were advised to communicate about supplement use with their patients, particularly those with liver conditions, to better inform them of the risks of taking ineffective or potentially hepatotoxic supplements.

Read more: The American Journal of Gastroenterology

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