Probiotics effectively remedy steatosis

A Saudi Arabian study has shown that taking probiotic formulations could help treat steatosis, the concentration of fat in the liver that characterized non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). They showed that probiotics could improve various functions in rats with NAFLD that have been compromised by high fat and sucrose diets (HFSDs). The University of Imam Abdulrahman Alfaisal sponsored the study, whose findings were published in the scientific journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

• Two groups of albino rats were given normal diets and HSFDs, respectively. The animals subsisted on these diets for 16 weeks. Starting on the 12th week, half of the HSFD group were also given probiotic mixtures.
• HFSD rats demonstrated symptoms of hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia, as well as high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Their serum levels of alanine transaminase (ALT) and bilirubin were much higher than normal.
• These rats also showed greater amounts of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-?) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), increased amounts of leptins in their blood, and higher levels of resistin in the adipose tissues.
• Rats that received probiotics alongside HFSDs displayed better lipid profiles, higher levels of serum leptin and resistin, and improved TNF-? and IL-6 levels. They were not as good as the control group, but they were better than the HSFD-only group.
• HFSD-only rats showed signs of NAFLD. The animals that received probiotics alongside HSFD did not display any signs of the condition.

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The researchers concluded that probiotics affected inflammatory biomarkers, hepatic function markers, and leptin and resistin levels. Furthermore, they showed that the ability of gut bacteria to regulate lipids relies on the carbohydrates and lipids in the diet.

You can get other articles about the health effects of probiotics at NaturalMedicine.news.

Journal reference

Al-Muzafar HM, Amin KA. PROBIOTIC MIXTURE IMPROVES FATTY LIVER DISEASE BY VIRTUE OF ITS ACTION ON LIPID PROFILES, LEPTIN, AND INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS . BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2017;17(1). DOI: 10.1186/s12906-016-1540-z.