Detoxing Your Liver: Facts Versus Fiction

• Your liver is an organ whose good health you can't do without. That's because of the large number of functions that your liver performs consistently. From processing the food you eat into proteins to filtering out the toxins in your blood, your liver is tasked with each of these essential activities. And that is the reason a growing number of people are turning to liver health supplements.
• While the pros and cons of taking a supplement for liver are highly debated, the fact is that the viability of liver health supplements hasn’t been studied much. Even so, you will see several kinds of liver health supplements on the shelves, guaranteeing you enough to keep you worry-free about the health of your liver However, from the researches that have been done, we do know some facts about liver health supplements, which will help you decide whether you should take a supplement for liver or not.

What do liver health supplements claim on liver detox?

• The liver's main task is to act as a filter, through which waste materials in the blood pass and convert into forms that can be excreted by the body. At the same time, the food that you eat has to pass through this filter to get converted into proteins and other forms that can be absorbed by the body.
• It is here that taking a supplement for liver steps in. These supplements claim to boost the liver's overall functioning in several ways. Liver health supplements are composed of several ingredients, and these ingredients can vary from one brand to the other. However, there are some basic ingredients that you will find in each and every one of the liver health supplements available in the market. The tasks performed by each of these ingredients in a typical supplement for liver are broken down below.

Milk thistle: The main ingredient

• Milk thistle has been used to boost up the liver's health for centuries. It has been discovered that milk thistle was extracted in a mortar and pestle by ancient tribal people all over the world, and fed to the sick and the weak. A practice so the age-old has got to be verified in some manner to be proven to work, and this is what various liver health supplements proclaim.
• The active component in milk thistle is called silymarin, and it has been proven to perform a variety of functions related to the liver. Silymarin decreases the amount of liver inflammation by controlling the growth of liver cells. It also nurtures liver cells and helps maintain their health by acting as an antioxidant. Silymarin is just a mix of natural chemicals found in plant extracts.
• Milk thistle is known to be safe, with little to no side effects. The side effects that may emerge maybe most of the allergic kind, such as a drop in blood sugar level. On the contrary, the benefits of milk thistle have been proven several times. Although the advantages of milk thistle are yet to be tested in a scientific lab, its proponents insist that age-old forms of science and verifiable examples right in front of the eyes can't be wrong. All in all, it continues to be one of the basic ingredients in every supplement for liver, and its benefits aren't studied but are observed.

Other ingredients in your supplement for liver

• Extracts from artichoke leaf are often added to liver health supplements. It is said to have healing properties for the liver, as it helps the liver cells to regenerate. The benefits of artichoke leaf aren’t exactly medically proven, although it has been shown to bring down levels of chemicals that are identified as indicators of liver health.
• There are some other staple ingredients found in liver health supplements. Dandelion root is one of these common ingredients, as you might find it in your supplement for liver. You might also find some minerals such as zinc. All of these are various forms of plant extract, and the choice of your liver supplements determines the exact composition of each of these ingredients in the final mix.

Why you might need liver health supplements for liver detox?

Different brands manufacture their version of liver health supplements. Some of these are more trusted than others. However, the root of the question of their verifiability lays in why consumers are looking out at various sources of boosting their liver function. The modern lifestyle might have consumed us all, and we seem to be at the point where taking a supplement for the liver is looked like a good choice even if you are following a good diet plan.

An overindulging lifestyle

• The modern society comprises it all: alcohol, fast food and even drug use. No matter how much towards the safer end you try to be, it is difficult to stick to a regimen that is healthy for your liver. An occasional night out of drinking with buddies or even a visit to the local cafe can mess up your weekly regimen. The diet and other chemicals ingested by your body all pass into the liver, and more often than not, it will find it hard to keep up.
• Liver health supplements can prove handy here. Including a supplement for the liver in your diet can do a great deal to keep the levels of various chemicals associated with the liver in balance. Overall, it’s going to amount to better health for you to face everyday challenges at the top of your game.

The temptation of weight loss

• Many liver health supplements come with the associated labels of weight loss. A large number of people are drawn by this, into including a supplement for the liver in their diet. The efficacy of this is under question, as there is no medical proof to support the case of liver health supplements for weight loss.
• In theory, the dots do connect. Since the liver plays an important role in digestion, having a healthy liver will help you maintain a healthy weight. However, the role of supplements taken to fasten this process is yet to be studied, in terms of both efficacy and safety. Even so, as long as you are taking your supplements after consulting your doctor, it is safe to say that nothing can go wrong enough.

Genetic predisposition to liver disease

• Liver disease isn't something you can guarantee to be free from even if your diet and regimen are perfectly fitness-oriented. The liver disease comes in various forms and under different names. It might be just an inflammation of the liver brought about by the imbalance of chemicals, or damage to the liver cells which can even be permanent and fatal.
• Including liver health supplements in your diet can help fill in any drawbacks you might have in your liver that may be blood-related. Liver disease often runs in the family, as it depends on the predispositions of the liver. These supplements will not only help ensure you are safe from all forms of liver disease and damage, but also that the general health of the liver in your bloodline is rising.

What it finally means?

• Although it is medically unproven that liver health supplements directly increase the health of the liver, there are other undeniable signs to support the case. It has been observed that including a supplement for the liver in your diet will bring down the levels of certain chemicals that are recognized as indicators of the liver's overall health. The fact that consuming these supplements directly results in their healthy fall shows a relation.
• It is still advised that you consult your doctor before you include liver health supplements in your diet. He can make sure that you aren’t allergic to any of the ingredients in your supplement for the liver, and that it will do you no damage.