Supplementing liver health

EDGEWOOD, Md. —Nutramax Labs recently launched its Samsyl dietary supplement for liver health. Samsyl contains a blend of S-adenosylmethionine, or SAMe, along with a highly bioavailable silybin-soy phosphatidylcholine complex.

SAMe is a supplement ingredient that may be better known for its antidepressant effects or for its benefits for arthritis patients. In 18 controlled clinical trials involving 1,134 patients, SAMe has been found to be at least as effective as other antidepressants. And in 1987, the American Journal of Medicine published 20 papers on SAMe and arthritis, including nine clinical trials with more than 22,000 participants.

And now SAMe’s reputation for improving liver health may soon be on the rise. Through a process called transulferation, SAMe helps the body’s cells produce glutathione. Glutathione is an essential compound necessary to protect the liver from oxidative damage. As many as 17 clinical trials have found that SAMe can help improve both alcoholic and nonalcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis, along with other liver diseases.