Natural treatments for alcoholic hepatitis
Natural treatments for alcoholic hepatitis focus on addressing liver damage caused by chronic alcohol consumption. The primary recommendation is to reduce or completely abstain from alcohol, as this is crucial for recovery. Supporting liver health can also involve general nutritional enhancements, including a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and protein, while avoiding processed foods and added sugars. Various supplements such as magnesium, milk thistle, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe), and vitamins like E and B-complex may offer potential benefits, though evidence for their effectiveness varies.
However, individuals are encouraged to avoid certain herbs and supplements known to be harmful to the liver, such as high doses of beta-carotene and vitamin A, kava, and others with suspected liver toxicity. Lifestyle changes, including adequate rest and hydration, alongside stress management, are also important for individuals dealing with this condition. Overall, while natural treatments can complement recovery efforts, they should be approached with caution and under professional guidance.
Natural treatments for alcoholic hepatitis
- DEFINITION: Treatment of liver disease caused by chronic overconsumption of alcohol.
- PRINCIPAL PROPOSED NATURAL TREATMENT: Reduced alcohol consumption
- OTHER PROPOSED NATURAL TREATMENTS: General nutritional support, magnesium, milk thistle, omega-3 essential fatty acids, omega-6 essential fatty acids, S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe), trimethylglycine, silymarin, quercetin, hesperidin, berberine, vitamin E, B-complex vitamins, zinc, diet and lifestyle changes
- HERBS AND SUPPLEMENTS TO AVOID: Beta-carotene (excessive dose), coltsfoot, comfrey, germander, greater celandine, kava, kombucha, pennyroyal, prepackaged Chinese herbal remedies, vitamin A (excessive dose)
Introduction
The liver is a sophisticated chemical laboratory capable of carrying out thousands of chemical transformations on which the body depends. The liver produces some important chemicals from scratch and modifies others to allow the body to use them better. In addition, the liver neutralizes an enormous range of toxins.
A number of influences can severely damage the liver, of which alcohol is the most common. This powerful liver toxin harms the liver in three stages: alcoholic fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and cirrhosis. Although the first two stages of injury are usually reversible, cirrhosis is not. Generally, liver cirrhosis is a result of more than ten years of heavy alcohol abuse.
Usually, alcoholic hepatitis is discovered through blood tests that detect levels of enzymes released from the liver. The blood levels of these enzymes, which are known by acronyms, such as SGOT, SGPT, ALT, AST, and GGT, rise as damage to the liver (by any cause) progresses.
If blood tests show that a person has alcoholic hepatitis (or any other form of liver disease), it is essential that the person stop drinking. There is little in the way of specific treatment beyond this.
Principal Proposed Natural Treatments
Several influences can severely damage the liver, of which alcohol is the most common. This potent liver toxin harms the liver in three stages: alcoholic fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and cirrhosis. Although the first two stages of injury are usually reversible, cirrhosis is not. Generally, liver cirrhosis is a result of more than ten years of heavy alcohol abuse.
Milk thistle. Numerous double-blind, placebo-controlled studies enrolling several hundred people have evaluated whether the herb milk thistle can successfully counter alcohol-induced liver damage. However, these studies have yielded inconsistent results. For example, a double-blind, placebo-controlled study performed in 1981 followed 106 Finnish soldiers with alcoholic liver disease over four weeks. The treated group showed a significant decrease in elevated liver enzymes and improved liver structure, as evaluated by biopsy in twenty-nine subjects.
Two similar studies enrolling approximately sixty people also found benefits. However, a three-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 116 people showed little to no additional benefit, perhaps because most participants reduced their alcohol consumption, and almost one-half of them stopped drinking entirely. Another study found no benefit in seventy-two persons who were followed for fifteen months.
A review of published and unpublished studies on milk thistle as a treatment for liver disease concluded that benefits were seen only in low-quality trials, and even in those, milk thistle did not show more than a slight benefit. Another review of nineteen randomized trials drew a similar conclusion for alcoholic liver disease generally, although it did find a modest reduction in mortality for persons with severe liver cirrhosis.
Other proposed natural treatments. The supplement S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) has also shown some promise for preventing or treating alcoholic hepatitis, but there is no reliable evidence to support its use for this purpose. The supplement trimethylglycine helps the body create its own SAMe and has also shown promise in preliminary studies. Other supplements that have shown promising results in various studies include silymarin, quercetin, hesperidin, and berberine. Zinc, vitamin E, and B complex vitamins may also be helpful. Further research is required before medical professionals may recommend these treatments. Making diet and lifestyle changes is essential for individuals with alcoholic hepatitis. Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and protein, limiting salt, and avoiding processed food and added sugars may help. Individuals are cautioned to abstain from alcohol completely, get adequate rest and hydration, and avoid stress.
Herbs and Supplements to Avoid
High doses of the supplements beta-carotene and vitamin A might cause alcoholic liver disease to develop more rapidly in people who abuse alcohol. Nutritional supplementation at the standard daily requirement level should not cause a problem.
Although one animal study suggests that the herb kava might aid in alcohol withdrawal, the herb can cause liver damage; therefore, it should not be used by people with alcoholic liver disease (and probably not by anyone). Numerous other herbs possess known or suspected liver-toxic properties, including coltsfoot, comfrey, germander, greater celandine, kombucha, pennyroyal, and various prepackaged Chinese herbal remedies. For this reason, people with alcoholic liver disease should use caution before taking any medicinal herbs.
Bibliography
"Add Antioxidants to Your Diet." Mayo Clinic, 29 Mar. 2024, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/add-antioxidants-to-your-diet/art-20546814. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024.
"Alcoholic Hepatitis." Mayo Clinic, 9 Nov. 2023, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alcoholic-hepatitis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20351394. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024.
"Alcohol-Induced Hepatitis." Cleveland Clinic, 17 Apr. 2022, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17853-alcoholic-hepatitis. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024.
"Alcohol-Related Liver Disease - Treatment." NHS, 20 Sept. 2022, www.nhs.uk/conditions/alcohol-related-liver-disease-arld/treatment. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024.
McClain, C. J., et al. "S-adenosylmethionine, Cytokines, and Alcoholic Liver Disease." Alcohol, vol. 27, 2002, pp. 185-192.
Ni, R., et al. "Toxicity of Beta-carotene and Its Exacerbation by Acetaldehyde in HepG2 Cells." Alcohol and Alcoholism, vol. 36, 2001, pp. 281-285.
Rambaldi, A., and C. Gluud. "Meta-Analysis of Propylthiouracil for Alcoholic Liver Disease – a Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group Review." Liver, vol. 21, no. 6, Dec. 2001, pp. 398–404. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=5687289&site=ehost-live. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024.
Yan, Junbin, et al. "Natural Compounds: A Potential Treatment for Alcoholic Liver Disease?" Frontiers in Pharmacology, vol. 12, July 2021, p. 694475, doi:10.3389/fphar.2021.694475.