The Aesthetics Advisor

Magnesium, an essential mineral involved in more than 300 metabolic reactions, 1   may also play an important role in liver health. Due to the way it interacts with your gut microbiome, magnesium may offer protection from liver damage caused by one of the most common liver toxins — acetaminophen, also known as Tylenol. 2 Acetaminophen overdose is one of the leading causes of liver injury in the U.S. and some parts of Europe. In these areas, acetaminophen is responsible for more than 50% of acute liver failure cases. 3 Treatment for acetaminophen-induced liver failure is limited, with liver transplant the only option in severe cases, making liver injury caused by acetaminophen an emerging “public health issue.” 4  Magnesium, however, has the potential to help, according to research published in Cell Host & Microbe. Magnesium Alleviates Acetaminophen-Induced Liver Failure When excess amounts of acetaminophen are metabolized, it depletes glutathione and increases N-acetyl-p-b...

Women who have sugar-sweetened drinks daily appear to have a higher risk of developing liver cancer and chronic liver disease, according to a recent study. The  study , led by Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Massachusetts, analyzed data from nearly 100,000 postmenopausal women between the ages of 50–79 years old, who were enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study from 1993 to 1998 at 40 clinical centers across the United States. In the study, the women had self-reported their usual soft drinks, fruit drinks (not including fruit juice), and then how much artificially sweetened drinks they consumed after three years. Researchers followed up the cases over a median of 20.9 years—up to March 1, 2020. They observed self-reported liver cancer incidence and death due to chronic liver disease, and then further verified such data via medical records or the National Death Index. Results showed that the 6.8 percent of the 98,786 postmenopausal women who drank o...

In the U.S., an estimated 30% of adults have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common chronic liver disease. 1   Globally, about 25% of adults are affected. 2   These numbers only account for the buildup of excess fat in your liver that is not related to heavy alcohol use. If alcoholic liver disease were also factored in, the prevalence would be even higher. Further, in people with obesity, up to 90% have NAFLD, as do up to 75% of those who are overweight 3  and 50% of people with diabetes. 4  Even 10% of U.S. children are suffering from NAFLD. 5 Lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, weight and smoking all play important roles in exacerbating (as well as reducing) your chances of developing some form of liver disease. Obesity and other signs of metabolic dysfunction, including high blood pressure, insulin resistance and elevated triglycerides, are also linked to NAFLD. 6 Left unchecked, it’s estimated that 100 million people in the U.S. alone wil...

In the United States, acetaminophen is widely available and included in hundreds of cold and cough medicines. Unfortunately, it can also be easily misused and has been responsible for deaths by suicide and unintentional poisoning. Because of its potential dangers, acetaminophen is one of the most frequently banned or restricted drugs ( pdf ). Countries that have limited or banned drug combinations using acetaminophen include the UK, Norway, India, Algeria, and Kyrgyzstan. Acetaminophen overdose is the leading cause of liver transplantation in the United States, according to a recently  updated report  by the National Institutes of Health. About 500 Americans die yearly of complications from acetaminophen toxicity. It also causes approximately 56,000 emergency department visits and 2,600 hospitalizations annually. Why Is the Rate of Acetaminophen Toxicity So High? “Acetaminophen is by far the No. 1 cause of acute liver failure in the United States,” Dr. Nima Majlesi, direc...