Olive oil and garlic may do wonders for salad dressing and pasta sauces, but you'd be hard pressed to find credible evidence that they confer any benefit to the liver. Liver "cleanses," or "flushes" as they are often called, are pitched to very ill patients who are desperate for relief. There is no reliable evidence that they do any good. Some of these regimens are so extreme, they damage your health.
Liver Functions
The liver lies underneath the ribcage, on the right side of the abdominal cavity. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease explains that this football-sized organ removes harmful substances from the blood, fights infection, helps digest food and stores nutrients. Among these many functions, it stores glycogen, which helps maintain blood glucose levels.
Regimens
The internet is littered with thousands of olive oil and garlic regimens designed to flush or cleanse the liver. These call for drinking a concoction of olive oil and garlic. Other ingredients, such as herbs and lemon, are often included. Some require patients to drink as much as 11 oz. of olive oil in a single sitting.
Explanation
The National Cancer Institute explains that "proponents claim that liver flushing rids the organ of unwanted food by-products, fats, toxins, parasites and gallstones, thereby preventing or treating a range of diseases, including cancer." However, such proponents are never able to show the presence of such toxic agents, let alone evidence that they caused disease.
Limitations of Testimonials
Like many "cleansing" scams, the olive oil and liver regimen relies upon testimonials from individuals who claim to have benefited from it. Such testimonials are not necessarily credible sources. Since contact information is never provided, they are easily fabricated. Reliable information comes from controlled scientific testing, replication of results by colleagues in the field and publication in peer-reviewed journals. This liver cleanse has never been subject to such rigorous review and testing.
Warning
The American Cancer Society warns that you may experience "nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea" from this kind of liver flush. The Institute explains that the excessive oil may cause the gallbladder to contract, which could lead to gallstones getting stuck in the bile duct. Such adverse affects can lead to even more serious medical problems if ignored.
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