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HEPATIBEN-Liver-Detox

Hepatiben: Fatty Liver Overview

Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) affects about one-third of Americans and most people are completely unaware and undiagnosed. Adults are not alone, a shocking 10% of children in America are also affected. Fatty liver is often referred to as the silent killer because there are very few signs before it becomes a severe health issue.

Statistics for people living with advanced liver diseases are grim. Left untreated NAFLD morphs into more advanced stages like non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver failure. Fatty liver is defined as having 5-10% fat built up in the liver. There is always some degree of fat in the liver, but once it reaches this level, it starts to disrupt function. Circulation and hepatic cells then begin to die off.

TYPICAL SYMPTOMS FOR FATTY LIVER DISEASE

  • Fatigue
  • Obesity – 75% increased chance of fatty liver disease if you are overweight
  • IBS or occasional digestive issues
  • Food sensitivities – this often begins with Leaky Gut and can be the underlying cause of the liver issues.

TYPICAL SYMPTOMS FOR ADVANCED LIVER DISEASE

  • Bad breath
  • Black circles beneath the eyes, swollen eyeballs
  • Bad body odor
  • Brown blemishes on the skin
  • White coating on tongue
  • Discolored stools
  • Inflamed palms and soles of feet
  • Nausea
  • Swelling in the legs and ankles.
  • Itchy skin
  • Dark urine color
  • Pale stool or tar-colored stool, or bloody stool
  • Chronic fatigue

WHO IS AT RISK?

Traditionally people with the following are in the ‘at risk’ category and if you show any symptoms listed above along with being in this risk category, you should get tested.
  • Alcohol use
  • Excessive medications
  • Type II Diabetes
  • High Cholesterol
  • Malnutrition
  • Metabolic Syndrome

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING

The scientific evidence explaining how this occurs is much stronger today and points to a common pathway. Diet and increased pollutants leading to leaky gut allow toxins into the body, which then overrun the liver.

Over 40 years ago alcohol, hepatitis and hepatitis b were the main drivers for fatty liver disease. When left untreated, alcoholism led to liver cirrhosis and loss of liver function as the liver becomes overwhelmed. Today over 75% liver damage is initiated through non-alcoholic sources in the food supply. We refer to this as NAFLD or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

  • We often hear the following questions from patients:
  • What’s the connection between fatty liver disease & environment?
  • Has the food supply changed that much in the past 50 years?
  • Do we really need to eat organic foods?
  • Where do these toxins originate?

MECHANISM OF ACTION

In the past, the scientific community had been confused about the causes of NAFLD. Now recent studies point to a leaking gut with an influx of free-floating food particles and toxins in the body as a culprit. Leaky Gut is an improper balance of bacteria in the body leading to intestinal wall breach with a destructive cascade of health problems.

When the liver can no longer detoxify the influx of foreign substances, they are swept into fat cells to be broken down later. NAFLD is the accumulation of these fat cells that interrupt normal liver function in the absence of alcohol consumption. While the obesity it produces can sometimes be observed externally, dangerous conditions compromise the health of the body’s organs internally. A test that confirms the overload of fatty acids known as lipotoxicity will reveal if this cascade has led to metabolic syndrome and NAFLD.

Unfortunately, as Americans consume increasing amounts of sugar, caffeine, antibiotics, GMOs, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and hormones our liver health is in severe jeopardy.

ORGANIC FOOD IMPORTANCE

Although GMOs and their associated pesticide use is only one driver of this health issue, it is an important driver. We always encourage patients to eat organic foods as much as possible. While eating organic can be a budget constraint, choosing organic with regard to the dirty dozen(LINK) will go a long way to improve overall health.

GE crops have far higher concentrations of pesticide use as they are engineered to withstand massive amounts of exposure. As insects become increasingly resistant to large amounts of Roundup used on GE crops, crops absorb higher concentrations of pesticide as they grow in the fields.

  • Associated Diseases with GE crops (Glyphosate)
  • The list looks very similar to fatty liver symptoms.
  • Cardio-Vascular Disease
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Parkinson’s Disease
  • Liver Disease
  • Chronic Inflammation
  • Infertility
  • Depression
  • Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Obesity
  • Diabetes Type II
  • Autism
  • Dysbiosis
  • Encephalitis
  • Fatty Liver
  • IBS
  • Allergies
  • Cancer

WHAT DOES NOT WORK

The pharmaceutical industry has been working on cures for NAFLD and related diseases with little success. Thus far, Metformin is their only real attempt by their industry. Metformin has limited effectiveness as it is an insulin-sensitizing drug that only addresses part of the issue.

NATURE WORKS: OUR SOLUTION

Nature provides us with the only real solution. The natural ingredients in Hepatiben show promising results because of their synergistic affect. These leading ingredients have been identified by our founder and Molecular Biologist, Brendan Gaughran. They are explained here:

Studies demonstrate that Silybin (active compound in milk thistle), SAMe, NAC, Phosphatidylcholine, Selenium, Turmeric and Glutathione work best in repeatable experiments. The success of these natural ingredients relies on rapid replenishment of Glutathione, a critically important liver antioxidant.

Extracts from milk thistle have a long history in liver protection. Its rediscovery by science offers a renewed appreciation for its properties and health benefits. One very effective combination is silymarin and phosphatidylcholine. They improve in insulin sensitivity while reversing damaged liver cells by reducing oxidative stress and improving glutathione levels in the liver.

N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is a sulfur-rich compound used often to neutralize the damaging effects of aspirin on the liver. NAC rapidly restores glutathione levels. A recent animal study finds that NAC prevents NAFLD in animals suffering from liver disease. Similarly, SAMe had been found to increase Glutathione levels in humans with Fatty Liver Disease.

Selenium has been shown to decrease inflammation and prevent the oxidative modification of lipids in the body. Deficiencies in selenium levels is commonly found in cirrhosis patients. Selenium supplementation has been shown to improve liver function by reducing serum AST and ALT levels. Therefore, there is a clear link between good liver health and selenium.

Selenium has also been studied in the ability to repair DNA. When combining selenium with alpha lipoic acid (ALA) can promote the potency of other antioxidants in the body.

Liver Medic has gone a step further in Hepatiben by leveraging the positive affect of four of its ingredients to address leaky gut. This focus is often missed in other liver supplements and is yet one more reason Hepatiben is preferred by our Physician network.

Leaky gut is typically the first step in the body’s breakdown allowing harmful substances into the body. By bringing the gut lining back to good health, the body is more capable of deflecting future attacks on the liver. These ingredients include berberine, alpha lipoic acid, phosphatidylcholine and turmeric.

Very few, if any products on the market contain all these ingredients and they are very expensive when purchased individually. That is why we formulated Hepatiben.