![\"Nonalcoholic](\"https:\/\/blueheronhealthnews.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Non-Alcoholic-Fatty-Liver-385205651.jpg\")
If left untreated, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can lead to severe liver conditions like fibrosis and even liver cancer. <\/p>\nIf left untreated, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can lead to severe liver conditions like fibrosis and even liver cancer. <\/p>\n
And there is no effective medical solution for NAFLD. <\/p>\n
A recent study published in the journal Nutrition & Diabetes<\/em> has found a plant that can drastically reverse, even heal, NAFLD.<\/p>\n Alantolactone is a substance extracted from plants in the Asteraceae family. It\u2019s known for its anti-inflammatory properties, but its effects on liver disease were not well understood before this study.<\/p>\n To explore alantolactone’s potential, researchers conducted a study on mice and liver cells. <\/p>\n First, they fed a group of C57BL\/6 mice a high-fat diet for 16 weeks. This diet caused the mice to develop NAFLD, mimicking the disease process in humans.<\/p>\n After 16 weeks, they started giving some of the mice alantolactone by mouth. They continued this treatment to observe its effects on liver disease.<\/p>\n In addition to the mouse experiments, the researchers used a mouse liver cell line called AML-12. They treated these cells with alantolactone before exposing them to palmitic acid, a fatty acid that can induce inflammation and oxidative stress, similar to what happens in NAFLD.<\/p>\n The findings from these studies were quite promising.<\/p>\n 2.\tAlantolactone also reduced the development of liver fibrosis, a dangerous thickening and scarring of liver tissue.<\/p>\n 3.\tIn both the mice and the liver cells, alantolactone reduced oxidative stress, which is a harmful process that can damage cells and tissues.\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n The researchers didn\u2019t just stop at observing these beneficial effects; they also dug deeper to understand how alantolactone works, and found two mechanisms.<\/p>\n 2.\tIt inhibits NF-Kappa-B, a protein complex that controls inflammation. By blocking this pathway, alantolactone can reduce inflammation in the liver.\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n So, alantolactone has a protective effect on the liver by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. This makes it a promising candidate for treating NAFLD.<\/p>\n The only problem at this stage is that alantolactone is only available for sale to researchers and laboratories.<\/p>\n\n
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