It could also lower transaminases.
Poor diet and lack of physical activity are harmful to the body, especially the liver. Over time, the accumulation of fat around this purifying organ makes it sick. This is called “non-alcoholic hepatic steatosis”, NASH or “fatty liver disease”. In France, this disease affects around 200,000 people. Its prevalence is expected to increase further in the years to come, but it increases inflammation and promotes cirrhosis of the liver. This is not the only harm caused by fat accumulated around the liver, since a study published in 2022, conducted in particular by French scientists, showed that these fats could reduce oxygen in the brain and inflame brain tissue, two phenomena associated with an increased risk of serious neurological diseases such as dementia.
Eating less fat and less sugar is therefore important to protect the liver and the brain. Another lead shared by Canadian researchers in August 2024 also seems interesting. It demonstrates the benefits of an exotic fruit almost unknown today to reduce the quantities of fat in the liver.
For 12 weeks, thirty overweight participants suffering from hypertriglyceridemia took either an extract of the famous fruit or a placebo, as part of a randomized clinical trial. After performing MRI scans to determine the fat levels in the volunteers’ livers, the scientists observed a 7.43% reduction in liver lipids in those who had consumed the fruit compared to an 8.42% increase in the others. “That’s a significant difference of 15.85%.” commented André Marette, professor at the Faculty of Medicine and researcher at the Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec–Université Laval, who led the study. The levels of ASAT and ALAT also decreased in the blood after taking the fruit, compared to the placebo.
The fruit studied here is camu camu. It comes from a tree in the Amazon rainforest that belongs to the same family as guava. Camu camu is said to contain specific polyphenols that influence the intestinal microbiota. “The microbiota metabolizes large polyphenol molecules that cannot be absorbed by the intestine, transforming them into smaller molecules that the body can assimilate to reduce liver fat.” explained Professor Marette. The fruit would then act as a prebiotic.
“These results support the hepatoprotective potential of camu camu against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Given the increasing prevalence of liver diseases worldwide and the lack of pharmacological treatments, these results are of clinical importance. Further long-term studies on a larger sample size are needed to confirm these beneficial effects.” scientists concluded.