It is well known that in recent years fatty liver has become a very common disease worldwide, affecting an estimated 20% to 30% of the population. In some cases, it can progress to cirrhosis and liver cancer if left untreated. Treatment for this disease consists of diet, exercise, and the use of certain medications such as vitamin E. Vitamin E reduces liver inflammation, decreases fat accumulation, and also has an antioxidant effect that can protect liver cells from damage caused by free radicals, preventing progression to fatty liver disease. It has also been shown that transaminases can decrease with the treatment of fatty liver with vitamin E. However, until now, the possible effect of vitamin E on liver fibrosis, whose index gives us the evolution of the disease that could end in liver cirrhosis, was unknown.
A study was presented at the American Society for the Study of Liver Diseases Annual Meeting, evaluating the potential effects of vitamin E on liver elasticity (an indicator of the amount of fibrosis in the organ). The study included 3,746 patients diagnosed with fatty liver disease, who were followed for approximately two years (724 days). It was found that vitamin E significantly reduced liver fibrosis. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the usefulness of vitamin E treatment for fatty liver disease.
Dr. Carreño and the Foundation´s doctors fully agree with the results of this study. In fact, they have been routinely administering vitamin E to patients at a dose of 800 IU daily for several years. Patients often ask about foods that contain vitamin E (vegetable oils such as sunflower and olive oil, nuts, and green leafy vegetables such as spinach), but the dose required for the treatment of fatty liver (800 IU of vitamin E) cannot be achieved through dietary intake alone.
