Milk Thistle & Weight Gain

Milk thistle, an herb with a strong track record in both ancient herbalism and modern clinical trials, works to protect and stimulate the liver. As of 2010, medical researchers acknowledge a relationship between unwanted weight gain and suboptimal liver function. Taking milk thistle might help to restore your body's ability to metabolize fats efficiently. Milk thistle can cause allergic reaction or digestive upset. Consult your doctor.

Theory

Along with a bloated abdomen and cellulite, weight gain can be a sign that your liver isn't working as efficiently as it should, according to holistic nutritionist Ann Louise Gittleman, author of over 30 books on natural health and weight loss, including "The Fat Flush Foods." Milk thistle might help to heal the liver in a host of ways, including promoting the growth of new cells, inhibiting inflammation, and repairing oxidative stress at the cellular level, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Fatty Liver

In some individuals, fat accumulates in the liver cells, resulting in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, also called fatty liver. Often associated with obesity and inflammation of the liver, fatty liver can prevent the body from metabolising fat, leading to further weight gain. In the United States, 15 to 20 percent of the population suffers from fatty liver, according to Liver Doctor, the website of Dr. Sandra Cabot, MD, a gynecologist practicing in New South Wales, Australia. If you find it very difficult to lose weight, have high cholesterol or type 2 diabetes, suffer from fatigue or are prone to colds and flus, ask your doctor to test you for fatty liver. Dr. Cabot recommends milk thistle to help support recovery from fatty liver.

Caution

Some people who are allergic to ragweed, chysanthemums or daisies might experience an allergic reaction from taking milk thistle, since these plants are members of the same family. Stimulation of bile production might cause digestive side effects. Overall, the NCCAM reports that most people tolerate milk thistle well.

Research

Silibinin, the most bioactive component of milk thistle, proved effective in reducing liver inflammation and restoring normal liver function in rats with fatty liver, according to a 2009 study published in the journal "Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine" by Yara Haddad and colleagues of the University of Montréal and Laval University in Québec, Canada. The study's authors concluded that milk thistle was a promising candidate for the therapeutic treatment of fatty liver.

Considerations

For more powerful herbal liver support, some herbal healing experts recommend using dandelion in combination with milk thistle. On the FDA's list of foods generally recognized as safe, dandelion root has no known drug interactions, but it is not recommended for those with bile duct obstruction or gallstones, according to the website Natural & Alternative Treatments. Like milk thistle, dandelion root is part of traditional Chinese medical treatments for cleansing the liver and gallbladder, according to Jason Elias, acupuncturist and herbalist, founder of Integral Health Associates in New Paltz, New York and co-author of "Chinese Medicine for Maximum Immunity."