Fatty liver is a disease that affects 20-30% of the world’s population and if left untreated it can progress to liver cirrhosis. It is also associated with cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders (increased cholesterol, triglycerides, etc.). Additionally, approximately 40% of patients with fatty liver have high blood pressure.
Regarding diet, it is known that coffee is useful in preventing the progression of fatty liver and there is some data that suggests that grape seed extract may affect the metabolic factors that induce the appearance of fatty liver. A study was recently published in the journal BioMed Central Complementary Medicine and Therapies in which 25 patients with fatty liver were administered grape seed extract at a dose of 260 mg in tablets, twice a day for 2 months. They also included a control group of 25 patients who received placebo.
Results of the use of grape seed extract
It was found that in patients treated with grape seed extract there was a significant decrease in liver analytical parameters (transaminases) while this did not occur in the placebo group. Furthermore, in 60% of patients with moderate or severe fatty liver who took the seed extract, fat in the liver disappeared or decreased, leading to a mild fatty liver. Changes in the lipid profile were also observed. Thus, in patients who took grape seed extract there was a significant decrease in the levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and an increase in HDL cholesterol (good). On the other hand, patients who took grape seed extract decreased their blood pressure (from 108.4 to 95.6). Treatment was well tolerated and secondary effects were not reported.
In summary, grape seed extract can be very useful for the treatment of fatty liver and for the control of cardiovascular diseases. However, at the Foundation we believe that more studies should be carried out with a larger number of patients to confirm these promising results.
