A recent study has shed light on the effects of milk thistle on the liver disease. The results are positive, suggesting that the herbal compound is a safe way to treat the malaise in chronically ill individuals diagnosed with the liver disease.
Milk thistle is an herbal compound. It is a dietary supplement whose most common users are individuals diagnosed with chronic liver disease. The team of researchers Bradly Jacobs, Valerie Lawrence and others conducted tests to discover and figure out the efficacy of the herb and if it is safe for the treatment of the liver disease in more than 400 patients. The results have been encouraging.
They show that the herb is both safe and effective in treatment. This article is an overview of the study. It starts with the methods used in the research, the results obtained, and the logic through which the researchers have come to conclude the health benefits of thistle on chronic liver diseases.
The method used
The researchers looked at English and foreign language publications through the month of July 1999. They searched databases, references lists, and the documents belonging to many technical experts, and a number of contacting manufacturers. The team of reviewers created independent reports. The reports were used to ascertain that milk thistle functions. To this end, the reviewers worked without being dependent of each other and later met to compare their reports. The purpose of comparison was to determine the effectiveness of milk thistle vis- -vis a randomly selected placebo. The researchers were primarily interested in the safety aspect. Needless to add that mortality was of main interest to the professionals. Consequently they kept a keen eye on serum aminotransferase, albumin levels, and biopsy specimens.
The results obtained
Of the many studies, fourteen met the inclusion criteria. Together these fourteen studies looked at the outcomes of thistle on 433 participants. The results were then compared with placebo. To quote the researchers: "mortality in the milk group compared with placebo" to study their effects on liver biopsy. The results were astonishing. Differences in aspartate aminotransferase, serum alanine aminotransferase, prothrombin times, and albumin levels were nil for all practical purposes between the groups of participants assigned to milkthistle and those assigned to placebo. In contrast, there was a significant statistical difference in alanine aminotransferase levels observed for patients diagnosed with chronic liver disease. The individuals taking milk thistle showed significant improvements. At the same time the possibility of contracting a new disease or side-effect was extremely low, almost non-existent.
The conclusion reached
Based on these results the researchers have reached the conclusion that thistle is a safe and effective treatment to be used in patients diagnosed with chronic liver disease--which includes liver biopsy. Patients who receive milk thistle supplements show marked improvements on several biochemical criteria--commonly used to measure the function of liver. To conclude, it can be safely said that milk thistle is safe to use. Its being herbal makes it less prone to producing side-effects and highly effective in patients treated with a disease.
Milk thistle is an herbal compound. It is a dietary supplement whose most common users are individuals diagnosed with chronic liver disease. The team of researchers Bradly Jacobs, Valerie Lawrence and others conducted tests to discover and figure out the efficacy of the herb and if it is safe for the treatment of the liver disease in more than 400 patients. The results have been encouraging.
They show that the herb is both safe and effective in treatment. This article is an overview of the study. It starts with the methods used in the research, the results obtained, and the logic through which the researchers have come to conclude the health benefits of thistle on chronic liver diseases.
The method used
The researchers looked at English and foreign language publications through the month of July 1999. They searched databases, references lists, and the documents belonging to many technical experts, and a number of contacting manufacturers. The team of reviewers created independent reports. The reports were used to ascertain that milk thistle functions. To this end, the reviewers worked without being dependent of each other and later met to compare their reports. The purpose of comparison was to determine the effectiveness of milk thistle vis- -vis a randomly selected placebo. The researchers were primarily interested in the safety aspect. Needless to add that mortality was of main interest to the professionals. Consequently they kept a keen eye on serum aminotransferase, albumin levels, and biopsy specimens.
The results obtained
Of the many studies, fourteen met the inclusion criteria. Together these fourteen studies looked at the outcomes of thistle on 433 participants. The results were then compared with placebo. To quote the researchers: "mortality in the milk group compared with placebo" to study their effects on liver biopsy. The results were astonishing. Differences in aspartate aminotransferase, serum alanine aminotransferase, prothrombin times, and albumin levels were nil for all practical purposes between the groups of participants assigned to milkthistle and those assigned to placebo. In contrast, there was a significant statistical difference in alanine aminotransferase levels observed for patients diagnosed with chronic liver disease. The individuals taking milk thistle showed significant improvements. At the same time the possibility of contracting a new disease or side-effect was extremely low, almost non-existent.
The conclusion reached
Based on these results the researchers have reached the conclusion that thistle is a safe and effective treatment to be used in patients diagnosed with chronic liver disease--which includes liver biopsy. Patients who receive milk thistle supplements show marked improvements on several biochemical criteria--commonly used to measure the function of liver. To conclude, it can be safely said that milk thistle is safe to use. Its being herbal makes it less prone to producing side-effects and highly effective in patients treated with a disease.
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