Silymarin and liver and cancer prevention

Silymarin is a group of flavonoids found in the herb milk thistle. Milk thistle is commonly found growing wild in a variety of settings, including roadsides. The seeds of the dried flower are used. Silymarin is an antioxidant said to protect liver cells from toxins. Sylimarin apparently promotes liver cell protein synthesis and decreases the oxidation of glutathione.
   Milk thistle or silymarin may potentially be beneficial in a number of diseases involving the liver, if in the early stages. Silymarin is not likely to work in cases of late stage cirrhosis. The dose of silymarin used in studies has ranged from 200 to 800 mg per day.

Milk Thistle Extract  80% Silymarin, 60 Capsules -Club Natural

Milk Thistle Extract is standardized to 80% silymarin, the key constituent that exerts a protective effect against substances potentially harmful to the liver.


Supplement Facts:
Milk thistle extract -  200 mg         
   (seed) standardized to 80% Silymarin

Recommendation: Take 1 milk thistle capsule daily or as recommended by your health care provider.

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Benefits

Hepatitis
Silymarin may be helpful in hepatitis B.

Silymarin and aminoglycoside antibiotic use
Effect of silymarin and vitamin E on gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in dogs.
J Vet Pharmacol Ther. 2007 Oct;30(5):477-81. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Chamran University, Ahvaz, Iran.
Aminoglycoside antibiotics, such as gentamicin, can produce nephrotoxicity in dogs, due to in part to an imbalance of pro- and antioxidants (oxidative stress). Silymarin (the mixture of flavonolignans extracted from Silybum marianum) has potentially beneficial antioxidant properties. This study shows silymarin and vitamin E decrease gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in dogs.

Silymarin and diabetes
Long-term (12 months) treatment with an anti-oxidant drug (silymarin) is effective on hyperinsulinemia, exogenous insulin need and malondialdehyde levels in cirrhotic diabetic patients.
Velussi M, Cernigoi AM, De Monte A, Dapas F, Caffau C, Zilli M.
Anti-Diabetes Centre, Monfalcone Hospital, Gorizia, Italy.
J Hepatol. 1997 Apr;26(4):871-9.
Several studies have demonstrated that diabetic patients with cirrhosis require insulin treatment because of insulin resistance. As chronic alcoholic liver damage is partly due to the lipoperoxidation of hepatic cell membranes, anti-oxidizing agents may be useful in treating or preventing damage due to free radicals. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether long-term treatment with silymarin is effective in reducing lipoperoxidation and insulin resistance in diabetic patients with cirrhosis. A 12-month open, controlled study was conducted in two well-matched groups of insulin-treated diabetics with alcoholic cirrhosis. One group (n=30) received 600 mg silymarin per day plus standard therapy, while the control group (n=30) received standard therapy alone. The efficacy parameters, measured regularly during the study, included fasting blood glucose levels, mean daily blood glucose levels, daily glucosuria levels, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and malondialdehyde levels. There was a significant decrease in fasting blood glucose levels, mean daily blood glucose levels, daily glucosuria and HbA1c levels already after 4 months of treatment in the silymarin group. In addition, there was a significant decrease in fasting insulin levels and mean exogenous insulin requirements in the treated group, while the untreated group showed a significant increase in fasting insulin levels and a stabilized insulin need. These findings are consistent with the significant decrease in basal and glucagon-stimulated C-peptide levels in the treated group and the significant increase in both parameters in the control group. Another interesting finding was the significant decrease in malondialdehyde/levels observed in the treated group. These results show that treatment with silymarin may reduce the lipoperoxidation of cell membranes and insulin resistance, significantly decreasing endogenous insulin overproduction and the need for exogenous insulin administration.

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