# Is there anything which can counteract, reduce, or moderate liver damage from alcohol? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 16, 2014, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-which-can-counteract-reduce-or-moderate-liver-damage-from-alcohol/690883 "2014-06-16T05:05:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EmbarrassingDad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/embarrassingdad/32/5441_2.png) [@EmbarrassingDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmbarrassingDad)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-which-can-counteract-reduce-or-moderate-liver-damage-from-alcohol/690883/1 "2014-06-16T05:05:18Z")
I have a close relative who I cannot convince to quit drinking… is there anything at all they can take (supplement, vitamin, herb, drug, etc…) to at least help a little in mediating permanent liver damage? ---
**Author:** ![EmbarrassingDad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/embarrassingdad/32/5441_2.png) [@EmbarrassingDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmbarrassingDad)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-which-can-counteract-reduce-or-moderate-liver-damage-from-alcohol/690883/2 "2014-06-16T05:12:49Z")
Sorry, missed my 5 minute window. which=that who=whom ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-which-can-counteract-reduce-or-moderate-liver-damage-from-alcohol/690883/3 "2014-06-16T05:33:12Z")
Antabuse. Sorry, but there is no magical vitamin to help daily liver poisoning. ---
**Author:** ![EmbarrassingDad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/embarrassingdad/32/5441_2.png) [@EmbarrassingDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmbarrassingDad)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-which-can-counteract-reduce-or-moderate-liver-damage-from-alcohol/690883/4 "2014-06-16T05:43:20Z")
> [@steatopygia](#): > > Antabuse. > > Sorry, but there is no magical vitamin to help daily liver poisoning. I think there just _has_ to be something which can help a little bit. A few percentage points of chance of postponing cirrhosis even over a period of years is better than nothing. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-which-can-counteract-reduce-or-moderate-liver-damage-from-alcohol/690883/5 "2014-06-16T05:45:11Z")
> [@dirty1](#): > > I think there just _has_ to be something which can help a little bit. Why do you think this? ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-which-can-counteract-reduce-or-moderate-liver-damage-from-alcohol/690883/6 "2014-06-16T05:49:33Z")
> [@dirty1](#): > > I think there just _has_ to be something which can help a little bit. > > A few percentage points of chance of postponing cirrhosis even over a period of years is better than nothing. Not to be snarky, seriously, but don’t you think if something like that worked there wouldn’t be any liver damage because everyone would be taking it? ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-which-can-counteract-reduce-or-moderate-liver-damage-from-alcohol/690883/7 "2014-06-16T05:51:37Z")
"Treatments Because of the severe link between alcoholism and death, the person must stop drinking before treatments will be of any use. For some patients, changes in diet as well as vitamin supplements will be very useful in treating the alcoholism effects on body organs. Diet and vitamin supplements can go a long way in helping the liver recover." From [this page](http://www.learn-about-alcoholism.com/alcoholism-and-death.html). ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-which-can-counteract-reduce-or-moderate-liver-damage-from-alcohol/690883/8 "2014-06-16T05:54:50Z")
> [@dirty1](#): > > which=that > who=whom Pre-emptive Grammar Nazi deflector shields up, Captain! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-which-can-counteract-reduce-or-moderate-liver-damage-from-alcohol/690883/9 "2014-06-16T05:57:52Z")
Also, 11.5 years between posts??? Sorry I don’t have more to offer you. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-which-can-counteract-reduce-or-moderate-liver-damage-from-alcohol/690883/10 "2014-06-16T13:44:48Z")
I’m on my phone, and will post links later. Look up drinking coffee, taking coq10. A study of coffee alone found four cups a day reduced cirrhosis among alcoholics by 80%. Google coffee cirrhosis alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-which-can-counteract-reduce-or-moderate-liver-damage-from-alcohol/690883/11 "2014-06-16T14:17:05Z")
I seem to recall thiamine deficiency playing a major role in alcoholic breakdown. Despite the usual negativity towards vitamin supplements, a good multivite can’t hurt for heavy drinkers. Definitely in the can’t hurt/could help category. The coffee angle is surprising but as the study (very large) was among Chinese subjects, I would want to see a corroboration within a more traditionally coffee-drinking population. I could see coffee-drinking Chinese being a skewed subset with other different and affective habits. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-which-can-counteract-reduce-or-moderate-liver-damage-from-alcohol/690883/12 "2014-06-16T14:47:49Z")
Maybe milk thistle. It has been used as a medicinal herb to help with liver function for thousands of years. Modern research has mixed results with some studies saying that it works wonders and others saying that it doesn’t do anything at all. There are some positive results that show it protects the liver against alcohol induced damage. You can buy it fairly inexpensively OTC from Amazon. Read the reviews because the brands vary a lot in how much active ingredient (silymarin) they contain. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-which-can-counteract-reduce-or-moderate-liver-damage-from-alcohol/690883/13 "2014-06-16T14:49:45Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > I seem to recall thiamine deficiency playing a major role in alcoholic breakdown. Despite the usual negativity towards vitamin supplements, a good multivite can’t hurt for heavy drinkers. Definitely in the can’t hurt/could help category. > > The coffee angle is surprising but as the study (very large) was among Chinese subjects, I would want to see a corroboration within a more traditionally coffee-drinking population. I could see coffee-drinking Chinese being a skewed subset with other different and affective habits. Thiamine deficiency is the cause of Korsakoff’s syndrome (aka Korsakoff’s dementia) which frequently accompanies alcoholism, apparently from failure to eat proper foods. I have a fifty year old former colleague, a first rate logician who is now in a nursing home–for the rest of his life–as a result. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-which-can-counteract-reduce-or-moderate-liver-damage-from-alcohol/690883/14 "2014-06-16T14:54:55Z")
What about glutathione or glutathione precursors? [Here’s some information](http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-04/euhs-gdi041902.php)about glutathione’s role in preventing lung diseases. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-which-can-counteract-reduce-or-moderate-liver-damage-from-alcohol/690883/15 "2014-06-16T16:13:10Z")
Well, _stop drinking_ comes to mind as something that will at least halt or slow down the damage progression… ---
**Author:** ![Belowjob2.0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Belowjob2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belowjob2.0)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-which-can-counteract-reduce-or-moderate-liver-damage-from-alcohol/690883/16 "2014-06-16T16:45:35Z")
I offer these for information only. I used cysteine to good effect when I was drinking a couple of decades ago, but I haven’t used it recently. I believe there are some potential hazards wrt to kidney stones. > **[Cysteine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cysteine#Reducing_toxic_effects_of_alcohol)** > > Cysteine (symbol Cys or C; /ˈsɪstɪiːn/) is a semiessential proteinogenic amino acid with the formula .mw-parser-output .template-chem2-su{display:inline-block;font-size:80%;line-height:1;vertical-align:-0.35em}.mw-parser-output .template-chem2-su\>span{display:block;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output sub.template-chem2-sub{font-size:80%;vertical-align:-0.35em}.mw-parser-output sup.template-chem2-sup{font-size:80%;vertical-align:0.65em}HOOC−CH(−NH2)−CH2−SH. The thiol side chain in cysteine The thio... > [@](#): > > Cysteine has been proposed as a preventative or antidote for some of the negative effects of alcohol, including liver damage and hangover. It counteracts the poisonous effects of acetaldehyde, which is the major byproduct of alcohol metabolism and is responsible for most of the negative after effects and long-term damage associated with alcohol use (but not the immediate effects of drunkenness). Cysteine supports the next step in metabolism, which turns acetaldehyde into the relatively harmless acetic acid. In a rat study, test animals received an LD50 dose of acetaldehyde. Those that received cysteine had an 80% survival rate; when both cysteine and thiamine were administered, all animals survived.[25] No direct evidence indicates its effectiveness in humans who consume alcohol at normal levels. [http://ceri.com/alcohol.htm](http://ceri.com/alcohol.htm) > [@](#): > > Dosage Suggestions > > Typical doses of cysteine that are sufficient to block a major portion of the toxic effect of alcohol/acetaldehyde are about 200 mg per ounce of alcohol consumed. However, the rapid assimilation and metabolism of alcohol requires both prior and concurrent dosing of cysteine to maintain protection. Furthermore, a multifold excess of vitamin C is required to keep the cysteine in it’s reduced state and “on the job” against acetaldehyde. I use capsules (because they dissolve fast) containing 200 mg cysteine plus 600 mg of vitamin C (with or without extra B-1). I take one before I start drinking, one with each additional drink and one when I’m finished. It works remarkably well. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-which-can-counteract-reduce-or-moderate-liver-damage-from-alcohol/690883/17 "2014-06-16T18:08:01Z")
There is actually pretty good _epidemiological_ evidence to support the notion that coffee protects against many types of liver disease. What there is not (to my knowledge) is any appropriately powered randomized trial to prove the point. And, one should beware treatments based strictly on epidemiological considerations. Two examples come to mind where in each case randomized trials showed a net _negative_ health effect despite overwhelming and rather compelling epidemiological evidence that suggested the contrary. 1. estrogen for postmenopausal women 2. vitamin E to prevent cancer ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-which-can-counteract-reduce-or-moderate-liver-damage-from-alcohol/690883/18 "2014-06-16T18:26:19Z")
How does “epidemiological” not equate to “anecdotal” in this usage? ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-which-can-counteract-reduce-or-moderate-liver-damage-from-alcohol/690883/19 "2014-06-16T19:15:10Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > How does “epidemiological” not equate to “anecdotal” in this usage? I suppose that in some sense you could view ‘epidemiological’ as simply being organized and collated anecdote. However, unlike anecdotal date, epidemiological data should lend itself to some in-depth analysis (looking for various relationships, trends, ‘dose effects’), and regression (looking for potential underlying drivers), and more. And, almost by definition (IMO), epidemiological data has more data points than mere anecdotal data. As such, it is, by definition, more robust than anecdotal data although clearly not in the same league as that obtained from large, randomized, controlled trials.