In recent years, lifestyle changes have led to an increase in fast food and alcohol consumption, and the prevalence of liver diseases such as liver cancer, fatty liver, severe cirrhosis, and obesity in the global population has also increased year by year. According to GLOBOCAN data, there will be about 905,677 cases (4.7 %) of new liver cancer cases, 830,180 (8.3%) deaths from liver cancer, and nearly 4.5 million adults in the United States were diagnosed with liver disease in 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The increasing prevalence of liver diseases has given rise to the rapid growth of the liver care market. According to Grand View Research, the global liver health products market size was USD 707.16 million in 2018 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.32% during the period 2019-2025. There are three main causes of liver damage, one is bad living habits, such as alcoholism and staying up late, the other is viral infection, fungi and certain parasites, and the third is drugs and chemical poisons.
In China, the mainstream liver-protecting ingredients include kudzu root, ganoderma lucidum, schisandra, wolfberry, etc.; in Japan, the mainstream liver-protecting ingredients are sulforaphane glucosinolate and curcumin; in the United States, the mainstream liver-protecting ingredients mainly include milk thistle, Ayurvedic Herbs, N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) and Dandelion, etc.
1, Pueraria Extract
Pueraria lobata is the root of Pueraria lobata, also known as Luhuo, Huangjin, and Jiqigen. The main ingredients are isoflavones such as puerarin, daidzin, daidzein and so on. Puerarin can delay gastric emptying, slow down the absorption rate of alcohol, reduce intestinal wall permeability, protect gastrointestinal mucosa, increase the activity of antioxidant enzymes in the body, and reduce tissue oxidative stress caused by alcoholic liver injury.
2, Ganoderma lucidum Extract
Alcohol-induced liver fibrosis is one of the major risk factors for the development of many liver diseases. Alcohol abuse causes 10%–35% of cases of alcoholic hepatitis and approximately 10% of cases of cirrhosis. Ganoderma lucidum has a certain antioxidant effect on alcoholic liver fibrosis. It is postulated that free radical-induced lipid peroxidation is one of the main causes of liver fibrosis, however ethanol increases lipid peroxidation in the liver. Ganoderma lucidum inhibited ethanol-induced lipid peroxidation by 95% in a dose-dependent manner. Ganoderma lucidum inhibited lipid peroxidation and significantly reduced MDA production in liver homogenates of control mice (not treated with ethanol), suggesting that the protective effect of Ganoderma lucidum against ethanol-induced liver fibrosis was partly due to reduced MDA production produce.
3, Schisandra Extract
Schisandra chinensis (Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill) is the dry mature fruit of Magnolia plant Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill, which was first recorded and listed as a medicinal material in "Shen Nong's Materia Medica" (Chinese Materia Medica Editorial Committee, 1999). As a traditional Chinese medicine, schisandra is known as "the king of liver protection and enzyme reduction". Polysaccharide is one of the main active ingredients of Schisandra chinensis, accounting for about 10% of Schisandra chinensis. It has the advantages of low toxicity and high curative effect. Research by Rongshuang Yuan et al. found that schisandra polysaccharide can significantly reduce aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, triglyceride Ester content, and pathologically improve the damaged liver, showing a good protective effect on acute alcohol-induced liver injury.
4, Wolfberry Extract
The bioactive components of wolfberry are mainly polysaccharide complexes, and the polysaccharides of wolfberry are usually composed of six monosaccharides (galactose, glucose, rhamnose, arabinose, mannose and xylose). Cheng D et al found that Lycium barbarum polysaccharide can inhibit the increase of serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activities caused by ethanol intake. In addition, Lycium barbarum polysaccharides can prevent the progression of alcoholic fatty liver. Lycium barbarum polysaccharides not only increased antioxidant levels (GSH, SOD, CAT, and GPx), but also decreased lipid peroxidation products.
5, Hovenia dulcis Extract
Hovenia dulcis is the dry and mature seed of Hovenia dulcis, Hovenia dulcis or Hovenia trichocarpa. The main components are dihydromyricetin, ryegraine, β-carboline, Hovenia glucoside C, D, G, G' and H, quercetin, etc. Dihydromyricetin can promote liver health by changing lipid metabolism, enhancing ethanol metabolism and inhibiting inflammatory response, thereby reducing liver damage caused by ethanol, and the substance can also reduce ethanol-induced hepatic steatosis and accumulation of triglycerides in the liver , attenuating ethanol-induced release of liver enzymes and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines can significantly enhance the activity and expression of ADH and ALDH.
Among the functional foods declared in Japan in 2022 and the first quarter of this year, the functional foods that claim to have liver protection function mainly use two kinds of raw materials, one is sulforaphane glucosinolate, and the other is turmeric white.
1, Sulforaphane Glucosinolate (SGS)
Sulforaphane glucosinolate exists in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables. A Japanese study found that continuous intake of sulforaphane glucosinolate in middle-aged and elderly people can reduce liver damage caused by oxidative stress and help Improve blood alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels.
2, Curcumin Extract
Curcumin can modulate antioxidant capacity, alcohol metabolizing enzyme activity (i.e. CYP2E1 inhibition) and lipid metabolism (i.e. increase activated protein kinase (AMPK) expression) after chronic alcohol intake-induced liver injury. A mouse experiment found that curcuma longa Tannin protects the liver from chronic ethanol-induced damage, attenuates hepatic histopathological changes and lipid accumulation, and corrects the levels of common biomarkers.
SPINS analyzed 2018 (52 weeks ending December 30, 2018) sales at U.S. natural foods, specialty foods, and traditional multichannel retailers and found that within the liver support category, the top 10 ingredient categories by sales were : Milk Thistle, Liver Extract, Ayurvedic Herbs - Other, N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC), Dandelion, Inositol, Artichoke, Turmeric, Mushroom - Chaga and Digestive Enzymes - Other. Among them, milk thistle sales took the lead, reaching US$22,747,756.57 million, an increase of 2.1% compared to 2017.
1, Milk thistle Extract
Milk thistle is a plant species in the family Asteraceae. Milk thistle extract contains silymarin and fatty acids, and silymarin is a complex mixture of polyphenols, including silybin A, silybin B, and docetaxel. The active ingredient silibinin in milk thistle can stabilize the liver cell membrane and promote the stability and fluidity of the cell membrane; effect on liver fibrosis. Additionally, silibinin may help relieve oxidative stress, protect liver cells from toxins and damage, and support healthy liver detoxification and elimination processes.
Apart from the US market, the demand for milk thistle is increasing all over the world. According to Innova data, milk thistle extract has a compound annual growth rate of 82% between 2015 and 2019, benefiting from global consumer demand for liver protection products.
2, Dandelion Extract
Another name is dandelion grass, chrysanthemum chrysanthemum, a perennial herb of the family Asteraceae. Contains dandelion, dandelion alcohol, choline, organic acid, inulin, glucoside and other nutrients, and is rich in selenium. Aqueous extracts of dandelion roots have been found to have protective effects against alcohol-induced toxicity in the liver by increasing antioxidant potential and reducing lipid peroxidation.
