Therefore, the key to cure a hangover is to detoxify acetaldehyde. Silymarin, the active ingredient in milk thistle, can only help with liver health by acting as an antioxidant that protects the liver from free radicals caused by alcohol metabolism, but it is unlikely to be directly related to hangover relief.
Still, milk thistle can help restore liver function damaged by alcohol, so it's a good idea to take it if you're a regular drinker.
2. Milk thistle, is it recommended for people with non-alcoholic fatty liver?
Silymarin is one of the most common liver health ingredients that can support liver health, and it is known that it can also support non-alcoholic fatty liver through its anti-inflammatory properties.
Fatty liver is the accumulation of fat in liver cells, and it is broadly divided into alcoholic fatty liver and non-alcoholic fatty liver. Among them, non-alcoholic fatty liver can be caused by obesity, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes, regardless of alcohol.
Studies have shown that silymarin may also help improve liver levels in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver. In a clinical trial of 72 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver, 6 months of silymarin was shown to significantly reduce ALT, AST, and GGT* levels [source].
*ALT: Liver disorders increase ALT levels in the blood
AST: When cells are necrosis or destroyed, they leak into the blood and are used as an indicator of liver disease.
GGT: Serum levels rise in the presence of liver disease
In another study, 20 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver who were given 7.1 grams of milk thistle daily were shown to have reduced blood triglyceride levels and GGT activity [source].
3. Is milk thistle dangerous for women?
Silymarin is known to act on female hormone receptors [source]. Estrogen receptors are proteins that allow cells in the body to respond to estrogen signals, and there are two types of alpha (α) and beta (β).
Alpha (α) promotes breast cancer cell proliferation [source], and beta (β) is known to inhibit breast cancer cell proliferation and tumor formation [source]. Silymarin is confined to beta (β) receptors [source]. In other words, silymarin is a relatively safe ingredient, but it is true that it is related to female hormones. For this reason, the scientific community has taken a conservative stance on the consumption of milk thistle in women with medical conditions.
Therefore, if you have a female disease or a breast cancer patient, you should consult a specialist before consuming milk thistle.
4. Is milk thistle good for your skin?
Silymarin is one of the leading antioxidants, and it directly removes free radicals* and inhibits enzymes that produce free radicals* to prevent the formation of free radicals [source]. In addition, silymarin has anti-inflammatory properties by inhibiting inflammatory factors such as NF-κB and FOXO (forkhead box O) [source].
*Free radicals: Molecules that are generally unstable and cause damage to the cells of the body. One of these typical types of free radicals is free radicals.
The main cause of acne is excessive accumulation of free radicals and inflammation in the body, and the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of silymarin are said to be beneficial to the skin.
These skin-related benefits of silymarin have also been confirmed in human trials. When 60 acne patients were given silymarin, the number of acne lesions on the face, chest, etc. was reduced [source].
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