The liver is the largest internal human organ, which performs more than 500 functions to keep us alive. Its importance, however, does not prevent us from constantly abusing it.
And one of the most common ways we do this is alcohol combined with pizza/burek/burger late at night... New research, however, is on the trail of a solution to prevent such damage.
Inspired by studies showing that good gut health can improve heart and brain health, scientists at Amory University decided to test whether a common probiotic (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG or LGG) could protect the liver from damage.
The study was conducted on laboratory mice, which were either fed a diet containing LGG probiotics or a normal diet.
After two weeks, their findings showed that mice that received probiotics in their diet for two weeks had less liver damage compared to those that did not receive them.
Co-author of the study Bejan Saidi believes that the probiotics had an effect on increasing the level of Nrf2 protein in their organisms. This protein is known for regulating antioxidants that neutralize free radicals.
"The LGG probiotic improves the antioxidant response of the liver, thus protecting it from the effects of oxidants produced by drugs such as paracetamol," said Saidi.
However, he doesn't believe it's time to spend your entire savings on probiotics to save your liver just yet.
However, further research is needed to show whether LGG probiotics have the same positive protective effects in humans, reports B92.
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