Your liver is a football-sized vital organ located on the right side of your torso, just below your rib cage. The liver serves many functions, including absorption of nutrients, blood detoxification, fat metabolism, storage of glucose for energy and the production of cholesterol and hormones. Liver cells can become damaged by free radicals, toxic waste products that can impede liver function and lead to a degenerative disease called cirrhosis. Early treatment of a damaged liver with the antioxidant vitamin E may reverse the degenerative progression of liver disease and prevent cirrhosis.
Cirrhosis
Liver cirrhosis, known clinically as cryptogenic chronic liver disease, is a condition marked by scarring of liver tissue and reduced liver function. Cirrhosis is considered the final stage of chronic liver disease, and advanced cases are irreversible. In the United States, the most common causes of cirrhosis are hepatitis C and chronic alcohol abuse. Other causes include inflammation, medications and other metabolic disorders. In children, cirrhosis can be caused by non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition in which the liver has trouble breaking down fats.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E describes a family of eight antioxidants, of which alpha-tocopherol is most significant in human health. As an antioxidant, alpha-tocopherol intercepts and destroys free radicals, harmful byproducts of metabolism that damage cells. Vitamin E has been shown to be effective in slowing the formation of cataracts, inhibiting cancer cell growth, slowing progression of dementia, and treating cardiovascular disease. The Linus Pauling Institute lists olive, sunflower, and safflower oils, whole grains, nuts and leafy green vegetables as good dietary sources of vitamin E. Because vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin, and because fats are metabolized in the liver, individuals with impaired liver function may have difficulty absorbing vitamin E, and may become deficient.
Vitamin E and Liver Health
Vitamin E has been shown effective in treating fatty liver, a precursor to cirrhosis. Excess liver fat is thought to cause liver damage by increasing levels of oxidant compounds that harm cells. A 2011 study funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases found vitamin E to be effective in the treatment of children exhibiting the most severe form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which is marked by fat, inflammation, and liver damage. After 96 weeks of treatment with vitamin E, 58 percent of the 173 subjects no longer had NASH.
Strategies for Liver Health
If you have been diagnosed with liver disease, ask your health-care provider if supplementing with vitamin E is recommended. Other lifestyle strategies recommended by the National Institutes of Health for improving liver health include limiting dietary salt, eating a nutritious diet and discontinuing alcohol use. The Mayo Clinic recommends eating a healthy plant-based diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables. They also recommend lean proteins such as legumes, fish and poultry, but suggest avoiding raw seafood. Notify your health-care provider of any medications, herbs or supplements you take regularly.
References
- PubMed Health; Cirrhosis
- Linus Pauling Institute; Micronutrient Information Center: Vitamin E
- "NIH News"; Vitamin E helps diminish a type of fatty liver disease in children; April 2011
- Mayo Clinic; Cirrhosis
- Colorado State University; Metabolic Functions of the Liver
- Mayo Clinic; Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
