Liver Damage From Supplements Is on the Rise

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Green-tea extract and bodybuilding pills pose a particular risk, study finds

You’ve probably heard that too much alcohol or excessive amounts of certain medications can damage your liver, an organ that helps your body extract the nutrients it needs from food and eliminate toxic substances from your blood.

But a new review suggests that many herbal remedies and dietary supplements can also harm the liver, including some that you can easily buy online or over-the-counter in drug or health food stores.

The study also found that injuries linked to those supplements are rising fast, jumping from just 7 percent of all drug-induced liver injuries in 2004 to about 20 percent in 2014.

The greatest risk seems to be with bodybuilding and weight-loss supplements, according to the report, which was published in the journal Hepatology by Victor Navarro, M.D., a liver expert at Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, and colleagues.

Read more…http://www.consumerreports.org/health/liver-damage-from-supplements-is-on-the-rise/