Resveratrol as a cure for fatty liver disease
Resveratrol as a cure for fatty liver disease
Fatty liver disease is just what it sounds like. It is a condition where fat accumulates in liver cells. Although the disease is generally associated with alcoholism, there can be other causes as well, such as obesity or diabetes. Fortunately, the condition is reversible and once the underlying cause gets treated, the liver starts recovering in most cases.
The reason why alcohol and some other things cause so much damage to the liver is because they inhibit the activity of certain proteins that are essential for your body to function properly. One of those proteins is Sirt1, which you may have heard about because it is often mentioned in articles about resveratrol. Namely, the protein breaks down fat cells in the liver thus preventing the accumulation of the same. In case this activity is inhibited, the problems soon present themselves.
The condition, if not treated, can cause liver failure and this is actually the most common cause of death when alcoholics are in question. In cases where the condition is not caused by alcoholism, death is certainly a less likely outcome simply because people do not let things go too far. However, in almost every case, medications are needed and although most of them are perfectly safe, avoiding them is a wise decision.
And as it seems, this can be done with the help of resveratrol. There have been many speculations on the effects of this substance when it comes to
the activation of Sirt1. And it has been proved that resveratrol boosts the activity of this protein and thus makes it possible for your body to avoid ending up with fat buildup in the liver.
Experiments carried out on mice showed that not only did resveratrol manage to eliminate the negative effects of fat accumulation, but it also managed to reduce the production of these potentially harmful molecules.
This means that if we provide our body with sufficient amounts of resveratrol, we will certainly be less prone to suffering from fatty liver disease. Since this substance seems to able to treat and prevent gaining weight and diabetes as well, the chances of suffering from fatty liver are even slimmer.
The importance of resveratrol beneficial effects should not be underestimated even though a greater number of studies is needed.
