What is NASH? 14 Symptoms You NEED to Look Out For.
The damage may be invisible but the pain is not!
NASH is Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis or an advanced form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. There are more than 3 million cases in the United States alone per year and most do not know they have it as people do not have any symptoms until it reaches more advance stages like liver cancer, liver failure, cirrhosis or advanced fibrosis. Liver fibrosis is when the liver tissue becomes scarred due to injury or inflammation and the overall function is reduced. In advanced cases a liver transplant is needed.
A study showed that of out 620 patients that had chronic liver disease 15% or 95 patients had NASH.
The 8 main and most common risk factors are;
- Diabetes
- High Cholesterol
- High Triglycerides
- Poor Diet
- Metabolic Syndrome
- Sleep Apnea
- Hypothyroidism or under active thyroid
- For women Polycystic ovary syndrome
What causes NASH – it is a buildup of fat in the liver which causes inflammation, damage and liver cirrhosis. It is a condition that has been on the rise due to the increase in obesity and diabetes.
The symptoms include:
- fatigue,
- weight loss,
- pain.
- Bleeding easily,
- bruising
- itchy skin
- fluid accumulation in your abdomen
- Nausea
- Swelling in your legs
- Drowsiness
- Confusion
- Yellow discoloration in the eyes and skin or jaundice
- spider like blood vessels on your skin
- Loss of Appetite
What does the ABM mushroom have to do with NASH?
NASH is a progressive disease and the number of people affected by it worldwide continues to grow. Scientists are searching in ways to help prevent and treat the disease. The ABM mushroom is rich in polysaccharides, lipids, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and other nutrients that help prevent oxidative stress (free radical damage) or the imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in the body.
A study published this year in Food showed that oral supplementation with the ABM mushroom reduced the development of scar tissue in the liver which is found in the late stages of liver fibrosis. The study focused whether the free radical damage (oxidative stress) that usually is the trigger to the development of NASH can be prevented by the ABM mushroom. ABM has anti-inflammatory activity and high antioxidant content which has been shown to prevent the development of NASH. Controlling inflammation has been the main focus and a key factor in treating NASH.
The result of this study shows that :
- the ABM mushroom promoted the reduction in liver oxidative stress and
- the ABM mushroom can play an important role in the prevention of NASH.
- A decrease of 65 % in the fibrosis are in the liver compared to control group.
- A decrease the levels of inflammation.
- Chronic inflammation is a predictor of the development of liver diseases and other lifestyle diseases as well.
- ABM supplementation may prevent and regulate dietary induced development of NASH.
- ABM mushrooms may be used as a preventative measure.
- People that develop NASH usually have an unhealthy diet with higher consumption of carbohydrates and fat.
There are other studies published about the ABM mushroom and the improvement various lifestyle related diseases.
In 2011, in a study published in IN Vivo the results showed that high dose ABM oral supplementation reduced liver necrosis (toxic injury) and fibrosis. The ABM mushroom extract reduced liver toxicity and enhanced liver recovery. The ABM mushroom has shown to improve liver functions and this is a very important finding especially for those with NASH.
By supplementing with the ABM mushroom you may help protect your liver and may improve your liver functions and overall health.
There are also studies on the ABM mushroom and its protective effect to the liver in alcohol induced liver injury but that will be a topic of a future blog article.