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Probiotics for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

In this study, the effectiveness of probiotics for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was examined (1). A total of 200 patients with NAFLD were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group (routine treatment group) and combined treatment group A, B and C. Each group had equal patients. The control group received orally polyene phosphatidylcholine capsules; whereas combined group A, B and C were given orally the live "combined Bifidobacterium Lactobacillus and Enterococcus powder" , "two live combined Bacillus subtilis and Enterococcus" , and the both probiotics respectively. The duration of treatment was 1 month. The results showed that in terms of blood lipids and blood glucose, each group improved after treatment with significant differences except for HDL-C. As for liver function, serum ALT and AST decreased after treatment in each group; especially in combined group C which were lower than those of control group. After treatment, all groups showed improvement of fatty liver by ultrasound, but the difference between groups was not statistically significant. The authors conclude that probiotics improve intestinal microecological system in NAFLD patients via inhibiting TNFα and enhancing adiponectin, possibly resulting in regulating blood glucose, lipid metabolism, and protecting liver injury from NAFLD.