With the arrival of sunny days and the obsession with perfect bodies, the consumption of food supplements is increasing. A trend that is not without danger.
- Liver injury is damage to the liver.
- Since the liver is supplied by many blood vessels, the main problem caused by liver injury is severe bleeding.
According to a new study, the consumption of dietary supplements leads to more and more liver damage.
A marked increase in liver damage
The research, published in The Medical Journal of Australia, analyzed medical data from 184 adults admitted to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney for drug-induced liver injury (DILI) between 2009 and 2020. Almost two-thirds of these cases could be attributed to paracetamol, while the last third was due to dietary supplements. Cases of liver injury linked to dietary supplements accounted for only 15% (two out of 13 patients) in 2009-2011, compared to 47% (nine out of 19 patients) in 2018-2020.
Less chance of survival
Another lesson: transplantation-free survival after 90 days was higher (86%) for patients with liver damage associated with paracetamol than for those associated with food supplements (59%). Half of the patients who developed liver damage had taken dietary supplements either to lose weight or to gain muscle mass.
“Stricter regulations regarding dietary supplements are needed”, conclude the authors. In general, no food supplement should be consumed without a medical prescription.
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