Can probiotics reduce liver disease in cirrhosis patients? Study says yes

Over a six-month period, daily intake of VSL#3, a probiotic preparation, significantly reduced the risk of hospitalization for hepatic encephalopathy in patients with cirrhosis, according to a study published in Gastroenterology.

Researchers performed a double-blind trial at a tertiary care hospital in India. Patients with cirrhosis who had recovered from an episode of hepatic encephalopathy during the previous month were assigned randomly to groups given a probiotic preparation or placebo daily for six months.

 

The study found a reduction in the development of breakthrough hepatic encephalopathy among patients receiving the probiotic — 34.8 percent in the probiotic group versus 51.6 percent in the placebo group. Also, fewer patients in the probiotic group were hospitalized for hepatic encephalopathy, 19.7 percent, as compared to 42.2 percent in the placebo group. Only 24.2 percent of patients in the probiotic group were hospitalized for complications of cirrhosis.

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