One simple but strong ally in the fight against fatty liver

I guess I’m feeling pretty generous toward animal studies this week. But once in a while, they are worth mentioning. Because the rat study I want to share with you today hits on several of the crucial points we’ve discussed in the past few days.

The fact that it’s not a human clinical trial would bother me more if its findings weren’t so important. And if it didn’t echo the results of a recent trial in humans published just this past spring. I’ll tell you about all of these important findings in just a minute. But first, let’s back up a bit.

As I mentioned on Monday,  fatty liver is huge problem in the U.S. today. One that’s only going to get bigger. Because as I’ve also explained in the past, diabetes, heart disease, and fatty liver form their own little axis of evil.

And this deadly trio will continue its killing spree if we don’t do something to stop it.

But it doesn’t have to be a doomsday scenario. Because as usual, it really doesn’t take much to make a big difference. In fact, you may be able to wipe out fatty liver in just 30 days—simply by getting more good bacteria.

Which brings me to that rat study I mentioned earlier.

Researchers found obese rats fed a multi-strain probiotic had significantly lower levels of liver fat than obese rats that didn’t receive the supplement. And after only a month of treatment, too.

What’s more, the obese rats on probiotics also had lower levels of key inflammatory markers in their blood.

Is this a guarantee that taking a probiotic supplement every day could combat fatty liver disease in humans? Of course not. But when you put it next to the results of a study that appeared in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition back in March, it’s a hard to ignore.

In fact, this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study had the exact same results.

Granted, it was a relatively small study—featuring just over 50 patients. But even so, it showed that supplementing with a high-quality probiotic works better than lifestyle changes alone in the fight against fatty liver.

The same goes for diabetes.  And high blood pressure.  And even losing weight.

Which is why I recommend probiotics as a core element of all of these protocols. Just make sure to seek out a quality probiotic formula with multiple strains of bacteria.

Source:

“Effects of Lactobacillus paracasei CNCM I-4034, Bifidobacterium breve CNCM I-4035 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus CNCM I-4036 on Hepatic Steatosis in Zucker Rats.” PLoS One. 2014 May 22;9(5):e98401.

“Synbiotic supplementation in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2014 Mar;99(3):535-42.


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