Are Probiotics Helpful for Treating Alcoholic Liver Disease?

It seems that more and more potential health benefits of taking probiotics continue to be discovered. A new study now shows that probiotic supplements may be beneficial for those suffering with alcoholic liver damage. If so, this might be a safe way to help improve liver function in alcoholic liver disease.

Alcoholic liver disease is an inflamed liver related to the long term or excessive use of alcohol. In mild cases, there may only be mild inflammation, but if alcohol intake continues, it can progress from mild alcoholic liver damage to full blown cirrhosis which is difficult to reverse. Usually, the diagnosis is initially made by clinical examination and discovery of elevated liver enzymes on a blood test.

What role might probiotics play in treating alcoholic liver damage? In a study published in the medical journal Alcohol, sixty-six men with alcoholic liver disease were given probiotic supplements. After supplementing for five days, not only did the men have higher levels of good bacteria in their intestines, their liver enzymes measured by blood tests had improved.

Although encouraging, this is a small study and large, randomized trials would be needed to show an association between probiotic use and improvement of alcoholic liver damage. For this reason, probiotic supplementation isn’t currently being recommended as standard therapy for alcohol related liver disease. Interestingly, a large clinical trial is about to be conducted on the role probiotics play in the treatment of non-alcoholic liver disease which could shed further light on the effect probiotics have on liver function.

Probiotics are supplements containing “good” bacteria which are believed to play a role in maintaining a healthy digestive tract. Studies are suggesting that these good bacteria may have even more far reaching effects by helping to enhance the immune system, offering protect against a variety of diseases, including colon cancer as well as certain types of infection. It’s not surprising that probiotics might have a positive effect on alcoholic liver damage since the liver and digestive system are so closely intertwined.

While it’s too early to recommend probiotics for alcoholic liver damage, adding more good bacteria to your intestine through natural probiotic food sources may have a variety of benefits. Although yogurt is a good source of natural probiotics, other ways to get these good bacteria is to eat miso, tempeh, kefir, sauerkraut, and other fermented foods. These foods can be found at most natural food markets. You can also buy probiotic supplements in pill form but there’s a wide variation in the quality of these supplements so do your research first.