Biological supplements designed to support liver health are virtually useless at best and dangerous at worst. Maria Prashnova, a gastroenterologist, hepatologist, associate professor at St. Petersburg State University, head of the EXPERT clinic, told socialbites.ca about this.
“Those additives and effective substances have already entered the drug category. The same hepatoprotector ursodeoxycholic acid is obtained from bear bile, which was used to treat liver diseases in China several thousand years ago. Now, it is a well-researched drug that has been used in some liver pathologies for many years all over the world.”
At the same time, Prashnova emphasized that such an additive can lead to liver diseases, up to hepatitis and cirrhosis, if the production technology is violated, the raw material itself is contaminated, or an unscrupulous manufacturer adds undeclared substances to the drug.
“Corn stigmas or milk thistle do not cause any harm by themselves. But dietary supplements can be dangerous because their production is not really controlled, we do not know exactly what is in this capsule and this jar, whether it corresponds to the specified composition. If a person takes some form of supplement “If he tolerates it well, if there are no side effects – of course he can continue to take it. But it has nothing to do with medicine,” he explained.