+ 66 Best Liver Protectant ☕
There are so many products on the market today each making claims to guard one’s liver from anabolic steroid induced damage, I thought I would read through a couple of scholarly articles and write something that is understandable and useful.
Steroid toxicity is not a widely researched topic in the medical community, probably, because it affects too few people.
The less the liver is able to metabolize a steroid, the more toxic it is. The more androgenic and less anabolic a steroid is, the more toxic it is. Liver toxicity is not confined to oral steroids, but those are the chemicals that do the most damage.
So, what does that mean? One of the most toxic steroids to the liver is mibolerone (cheque drops). It is not metabolizable at all and is excreted in the urine as unchanged mibolerone. It is not known exactly how the C17 alpha-alkylation of most oral anabolic steroids causes liver damage but it is observed as I stated above that the more androgenic an oral compound is, the more toxic it is, so we are left with the hypothesis that since C17 alpha-alkylation blocks the liver hormone that would normally break the steroid down into useless metabolic components and allows the steroid to pass into the bloodstream that the androgenic activity of the steroid in the liver is somehow the source of the problem.
How is the liver damaged? Bile flow is impaired. Steroids cause the liver cells to swell and hold bile that would normally be secreted into the digestive tract. The damage caused by bile acid accumulation in the liver is called cholestatic liver damage. As bile gets backed up in the liver we see increased serum levels of AST, ALT and GGT. The retained bile salts are so toxic to the liver cells that they can cause the liver cells to die and create an inflammatory response further exacerbating the situation. If enough liver cells die, bile ducts can be destroyed.
But, not all bile acids are toxic.
The oral administration of Tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) will assist the liver in producing bile acid metabolizing enzymes that will break the toxic bile acids down into less toxic compounds. TUDCA is itself a non-toxic hydrophilic bile acid. While the exact mechanism is unknown, TUDCA will also reduce pre-programmed liver cell death called apoptosis and will stimulate impaired bile secretion of accumulated bile acids.
TUDCA is the most potent form of liver support currently available.
Milk Thistle extracts have liver tissue regenerative properties, are excellent anti-oxidants but don’t impact cholestasis. So, while they are excellent at overall general liver health they are not adequate protection against the ravaging effects or oral anabolics.
Essentiale Forte is a phospholipid complex that has been shown to help clear toxic bile acids from the liver. It is an excellent supplement and probably the next best thing to TUDCA. It is produced by the pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis.
N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) supports the production of Glutathione, which itself is a powerful anti-oxidant that can protect the liver against toxicity but once again is limited in its ability to treat cholestasis and is marketed in many preparations with poor bioavailability.
Liv-52 is an excellent blend of antioxidants but will not treat cholestasis.
Dosing of TUDCA – 500 mg / day while on a cycle containing oral compounds. It should not be used more than 8 weeks at a time or for the duration of the cycle as it can have a negative impact on lipid values.
For general, year round, liver support, I would look to Milk Thistle.
References:
http://forums.steroidal.com/educational-forum/54-liver-aas-induced-hepat...
http://antaeuslabs.blogspot.com/2011/07/few-words-on-hepatotoxicity-of-1...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3089004/
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TUDCA or UDCA (the pharmaceutical equivalent with similar efficacy) is a great way to protect your liver. Having said that, one should be aware that there are complexities involved in dosing schedule of TUDCA. For example, taking TUDCA before ingesting alcohol can actually cause MORE damage to your liver cells than if you had refrained. In this case, take TUDCA afterwards.
I am not sure how this relates to oral steroid consumption. To be safe, I would only dose TUDCA concurrently, or after taking your oral steroid dose. There is no way for me to confirm if this is the best way to do it or not though, but you should definitely be aware of the issue. Personally, I pre-load for a month with TUDCA at anywhere from 1g-1.75 g a day split into 3 equal doses before a meal. Then when I start my oral steroid cycle I simply cease using the TUDCA for the length of time I'm on the compound. I will resume when I stop taking the oral. To me, this is the safest way to use TUDCA as a liver protectant and regenerator without risking causing even more damage due to some unknown mechanism that might be related to how TUDCA can negatively effect you if taken before ingesting alcohol.
Another good liver support supplement with a myriad of other benefits I do not see mentioned here is SAM-e. SAM-e is classified as a dietary supplement in North America but is a regulated pharmaceutical in Europe and Russia. Unfortunately oral SAM-e has a low bioavailability (3-5%) so always purchase enteric coated and preferably blister packed products. SAM-e is available as an injectable pharmaceutical in Russia and Eastern Europe and is highly effective in restoring damaged livers from hepatic conditions as well as cholestasis. Good luck importing it though.
Luckily, there is a recent clinical trial in America investigating the use of SAM-e to treat liver dysfunction. Keep your fingers crossed that it will become available here, because it is one of the best liver support drugs / supplements you can find. This, alongside with TUDCA, would be a way to bullet-proof your liver from potentially damaging steroid use. FWIW, the AOR brand SAM-e has given me great results as to be expected from an oral formulation. There can be some stomach upset becuase of the sulfur molecule, so always titrate your dose. I would use 1600mg a day split into 2 doses.
A more affordable alternative is supplement Betaine, otherwise known as TMG. Betaine is found in high concentrations in beets, especially the part where the beet attaches to the leaf stem.Through certain pathways, supplementing TMG is an effective upstream originator of SAM-e. I can't speak to the effectiveness of it, but it is for sure cheaper than SAM-e.
Remember to always supplement Methylfolate and Methyl B12 when taking SAM-e, as you need a methyl donor or else you could increase levels of damaging homocysteine without sufficient methyl donors in your body. I know it can get somewhat complicated, but it pays to pay close attention and be aware of how your bodily processes are effected by taking certain supplements. Even continued TUDCA supplementation does have its risk in relation to how it can affect your kidneys.
Good luck!
300 SavageThanks for the info....750 mgs of TUDCA a day will not only protect your liver but also help repair the liver..it is the best liver supplement out there.For oral 17aa or injectable 17aa. You must look into TUDCA..
Great post! You just saved me from wasting my money on Liv 52.
soreasscheeksI use n2guard
Not enough bro. OTOH, if your bloods are always pristine with heavy oral anabolic use, who am I to criticize? But that would mean looking at GGT as well as AST and ALT. AST and ALT are not liver specific whereas GGT is. And, unfortunately, GGT is not normally ordered as part of a CBC.
Great information! The importance of liver protection is a must for all of us "Gearheads"
Bump
Few days ago I searched about it and I bought milk thistle even . Already have liv 52 soon will finish . But what I found a bit strange . One of the milk thistle uses to make the test level lower . It's perfect for the liver anti-oxidants , but I stop think about take it since I heard have an amazing effect to lower the test . All we know this is what we don't need while we are on cycle , but from my search k found the best is N2Gaurd but it's really expensive and help even with the pct too . So I'll stick with liv52 and some natural Herbs .
Bumping thread. Very informative.
Good stuff. Check out Meriva bio available Curcumin. Curcumin isn't absorbed properly when taken alone however Meriva is a patented method of delivering 29x serum levels than regular Curcumin. It has some amazing properties including protection against hepatotoxins. I highly recommend it for joint pain too.
You can also take piperine with circumin, or simply a heaping teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper with your circumin dose, or if you want to get even more basic, just take turmeric. There are a host of other benefits that the root turmeric offers that are excluded in isolated circumin. I personally mix turmeric into my eggs and use judicious amounts of black pepper.
For people needing to relieve intestinal and digestive troubles, turmeric alone will greatly diminish inflammation in this regard. Circumin in its most bioavaiable forms (nano circumin or combined with piperine) is a very potent anti inflammatory though. Highly recommended. Also tends to increase bile flow which is always a positive for those that are interested in liver health.
I should mention, peppermint tea and dandelion root are both promoters of liver health through increasing bile flow.
Good luck!
This fucking guy:) Here I thought nobody knew shit about shit anymore. Everyone always throwing some drug in the mix. Nature gave us a lot to work with. Try natural first before moving on to pharmaceuticals.
TronYour always extremely helpful man. Thank you.
This post became popular. Around the time I wrote this, I did a piece on the kidneys and the heart as well. The kidneys are really more delicate and problematic than the liver is although folk have been conditioned by bro science to focus their worry on liver toxicity.
Amazing post man.. very clear and organized as well. This was a perfect find for me, as I am getting ready to start my next cycle in a few weeks. Just ordered 2 bottles of TUDCA and 1 bottle Liv-52. TUDCA while on orals and Liv-52 for general liver care throughout the rest of the cycle and a few weeks into pct. Thanks again for a great post.. now I can confidently go into this cycle knowing I'm protected!
Check out Synthergine. I have seen its proof through lab work numerous times.
Its a proven winner in my book.
I have bro. Definitely a good product, but remember, my goal here was do defend the liver against a very specific problem - cholestatic bile duct damage from particularly androgenic oral alkylated anabolic steroid medications which is among the most common liver issues from steroid use.
What about UDSA dosage?
@GearHead, thank you for this post. The info & feedback on this thread have been very educating. Your contribution to my education is much, much appreciated!
It might be worth mentioning. ursodeoxycholic acid which is the only FDA approved treatment for primary biliary- cirrhosis. Generally called "UDCA" in the bodybuilding community.
TUDCA, which I talk about in the post is simply the taurine conjugate form of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). UDCA is great stuff also. TUDCA is more available from the supplement houses at the moment.
Right on gear head. I have seen some research chemical companies selling UDCA but that's about it.
THIS SHOULD BE A STICKY. So pumped i came across this post, everything i wanted to know about liver support in one post! Thank you GearHead. +1
Hitman187Water and lots of it daily, gotta flush the toxins out or the other supps become almost pointless.
TUDCA is the best I know of. I Believe I read that it can help with blood sugar metabolism as well.
Another great way to really detoxify and stimulate the liver and remove toxins (heavy metals from gear) is Coffee Enemas. They are the best form of detoxification that there is. Also Bentonite Clay removes heavy metals and bad parasitic toxins they bind in the clay and are safely removed etc. Cilanto Chorella drops work on a similar basis to Bentonite Clay. Anything that lightens the load on the liver promotes liver health.
I really question the efficacy of a coffee enema. I don't think there are any proven scientific resources pointing to its use. I understand these herbal and traditional remedies may have some benefit, but they are not something to rely on alone.
Coffee enemas? Must we?
Excellent post man, sticky material for sure!
Good post. In the medical field we use IV or Oral NAC for anything liver toxic. esp Tylenol OD kids.
I think your post is great but I have never used TUDCA for a patient as any sort of first line liver salvaging strategy, It quite possibly should be, but its not proven standard practice.
I don't take oral steroids. They are poison by their very nature. If I did I would stick with standard practice of proven medicine and use NAC orally.
I would be grateful for any medical journals that would teach me otherwise.
let me be clear,
MEDICAL JOURNALS. not advertisements, Or articles of people selling TUDCA. legit medical journals will be fine thanks.
There are different forms of the supplement traditionally known as NAC, such as l-cysteine. I believe it is a beneficial product but to me TUDCA or UDCA are far more effective at protecting the liver against the specific type of damage oral steroids cause.
Any way of increasing glutathione is beneficial for the liver. There are hospitals in Russia that will administer IV SAM-e to rejuvenate damaged livers and those suffering from jaundice.
TUDCA is a line of defense against a very singular and specific form of liver damage - cholestasis brought on by oral anabolic steroids. Using NAC as a first line of defense against a broad array of hepatotoxic conditions makes sense to me.
Great post man! I use milk whistle, coq10, and fish oils year round besides regular vitamins for heart and liver health. After reading your post, I was thinking to add TUDCA and ALA if I decide to use orals. You think that's enough? Was thinking that LIV52 on top of this was overkill, especially after learning the functions of TUDCA
Liv52 has a lot of antioxidants and such that are generally good for liver health but it will no protect you against cholestatic liver damage brought on by the use of anabolics. TUDCA is the best defense out there at the present time. Taking Liv52 is certainly not going to hurt anything, but I personally wouldn't spend the money on it.
Thanks bro. Would you still use the milk thistle and ala on cycle or save for when you are off TUDCA? Appreciate the advice!
TUDCA vs UDCA - TUDCA wins!!!
Abstract
Taurodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) exert a protective effect in chronic cholestasis. This study reports the effect of TUDCA and UDCA on an in vitro model for ethanol-induced liver damage.
Hep G2 cells were incubated for 24 hours with 80 mmol/L ethanol in the presence or absence of 50 956;mol/L TUDCA or UDCA. Cells were also pretreated with 80 mmol/L EtOH and then exposed to 50 ***956;mol/L bile acids. Cytotoxicity was assessed by the metabolism of formazan (3-(4,5-dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide and sodium 3,38242;-(phenylamino) carbonyl-3,4-tetrazolium-bis (4-methoxy-6-nitro) benzene sulfonic acid hydrase and by the release into the culture medium of different enzymes (aspartate aminotransferase, glutamate dehydrogenase, ***947;-glutamyl transferase, and lactate dehydrogenase).
The incubation of Hep G2 with EtOH significantly (P < 0.001) increased cytotoxicity. Both TUDCA or UDCA reduced cytoxicity to a similar extent (P < 0.001). Cells pretreated with EtOH and then added with TUDCA or UDCA responded differently because TUDCA was significantly more effective (P < 0.05) than an equimolar dose of UDCA in reversing the damage. Electron microscopic examination revealed that TUDCA and UDCA were both able to prevent mitochondrial damage and to reduce steatosis induced by EtOH.
Low doses of TUDCA and UDCA protect Hep G2 cells from EtOH-induced cytotoxicity. However, TUDCA seems to be more effective than UDCA in reversing the damage.
http://www.gastrojournal.org/article/0016-5085(95)90345-3/abstract?pq=tudca+vs+udca&qs=n&FORM=PORE&cvid=31bb826bd86c4d90b1be59aba7002e2a&sc=1-12&first=23&sk=&sp=-1&referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bing.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dtudca+vs+udca
Here is a good writeup on TUDCA (snagged a few snippets):
2.1. Absorption and bioavailability
After oral administration, TUDCA appears to be more effective in raising bile concentrations of UDCA (and downstream effects, such as reducing liver enzyme levels) than UDCA itself; this is most likely due to the Taurine group enhancing bioavailability.[3] [4] The process of conjugating UDCA with taurine is a rate-limiting step, and this rate-limit is avoided with supplementation of TUDCA.[5]
2.2. Distribution
Orally administered TUDCA, at 750mg daily, was able to significantly change the UDCA content of serum, fecal, and urinary bile measurements after 2 months of supplementation; suggesting systemic distribution
Preliminary, but TUDCA appears to be able to protect cells from dysfunction associated with hyperglycemia and may reduce the effects of insulin resistance before they happen (beta-cells) and even therapeutically with the potency of some diabetic pharmaceuticals (in regards to the liver and skeletal muscle)
Might alleviate alcohol's adverse effects on the liver, but appears to be needed to be taken after drinking and may be damaging if taken before...
Tauroursodeoxycholic Acid - Scientific Review on Usage, Dosage, Side Effects | Examine.com
Why nobody write about glutatione injectable?
This is the best, other things are one step under. Glutatione inj it's Used for poisoning of pharmaceutical abuse in hospital. You can use it IM or IV. Used and my liver value turn back in the normal range, before they are at 120
good post
i take milk thistle, nac and liv 52 DS
also injectable antioxidants: resverstrol, gluthione, curcumin
+2
Gearhead. .great post man....Much respect
Tudca
Nac
LIv 52
Milk thistle
All have done me very well. Tuda and nac my top 2. This thread is great. Lots of great info....
Well done fellas
13psp13Love this post do you happen to compete by chance?
Yes I compete. Probably why I'm obsessed with watching liver and kidney health. I have been lucky so far but for me, anyways, bodybuilding is a sport I love, but I'm not going to destroy any organs over it if that's what it takes to move up. Not worth it to me. Just a personal choice.
I love liv52, they sell it on ebay super cheap sent from india (the company is from there). I buy the Double Strength version.
Just remember that Liv52 is a good collection of antioxidants that support liver health in general. It is NOT a supplement, however, that is going to protect you from cholestatic hepatitis. But, TUDCA will help in that regard.
"The more androgenic and less anabolic a steroid is, the more toxic it is.
That only applies to aas with methyl group?
Trestolone(mibolerone without 17aa)has 7 alpha group instead of the 17aa, 7 alpha also magnifies androgenic nature, I seen reports on it increasing liver enzymes despite not having toxic 17aa group, is because its very androgenic or the methyl group?
Very good post btw.
The jury is still out on MENT (Trestolone). It hasn't been that popular for that long to collect even enough anecdotal data on liver and kidney impact. What is coming into focus is just what I said - the more androgenic a compound is, the harder it seems to be on the liver and we don't yet understand exactly why. I have run MENT and it did jack my liver enzymes more than other compounds in the 19-nor family like Tren and Deca. I would really need to play with it at different dosages and durations to get a better appreciation of its effect on my liver but, as a compound, I didn't experience any oohh's and aaahhh's that make me want to experiment with it.
RustyhookerThis post still kicks butt. Lotta info here!
what a fantastic post here is a paper on liv 52 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16194047
We use Synthergine for our live protectant simply for one reason,,,it works.
I have seen it proven in lab work numerous occasions.
You, brother, never cease to amaze me with your knowledge and intellect! What a great and enlightening post that will aid in all members health! Thank you for all you do!
Much respect! +2