Primary Research · 2012
Silybin combined with phosphatidylcholine and vitamin E in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Loguercio C, Andreone P, Brisc C, et al. · Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 2012
Key finding
12-month RCT (n=138) in NAFLD found a silybin-phosphatidylcholine-vitamin E complex reduced insulin resistance and liver enzymes vs placebo, supporting phytosome forms of silymarin for NAFLD.
Abstract
PubMed · PMID 22387213 →The evolutionary 'decision' to store genetic information away from the place of protein synthesis, in a separate compartment, has forced eukaryotic cells to establish a system to transport mRNAs from the nucleus to the cytoplasm for translation. To ensure export to be fast and efficient, cells have evolved a complex molecular interplay that is tightly regulated. Over the last few decades, many of the individual players in this process have been described, starting with the composition of the nuclear pore complex to proteins that modulate co-transcriptional events required to prepare an mRNP for export to the cytoplasm. How the interplay between all the factors and processes results in the efficient and selective export of mRNAs from the nucleus and how the export process itself is executed within cells, however, is still not fully understood. Recent advances in using proteomic and single molecule microscopy approaches have provided important insights into the process and its kinetics. This review summarizes these recent advances and how they led to the current view on how cells orchestrate the export of mRNAs. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Nuclear Transport and RNA Processing.
Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Abstract sourced from PubMed, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Displayed in the authors’ own words for context; our critique is in the sections below.
About the supplement
Milk Thistle (Silymarin)
Dose · mechanism · evidence grade · safety →
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How to read a study like this
The same questions worth asking about any research paper, not just this one. Worth a minute even if you trust the grade.
Who was studied, and do you resemble them?
Supplement effects often depend on baseline status. Vitamin D helps people who are deficient; iron helps people who are anemic. A result in people unlike you may not apply to you.
What was measured, and does it matter in daily life?
A study that shows a blood marker moved isn't the same as a study that shows people felt or functioned better. Ask what the outcome means in practice.
How large was the effect — not just whether it was significant.
'Statistically significant' only means the effect is unlikely to be zero. It doesn't tell you the effect is large enough to notice. Look for effect sizes, not just p-values.
Who paid for the trial, and what did they stand to gain?
Industry-funded trials are several times more likely to report positive results than independent ones. It's not usually fraud — it's subtle design and reporting choices. Weight accordingly.
Has anyone else replicated this?
Single positive trials are hypotheses. Replication by independent groups is what turns a hypothesis into reliable evidence. If the only positive trial is the one you're reading, wait.
Does the dose in the trial match what's being sold?
Supplement marketing routinely cites trials that used 5–10× the dose in the product. If the effective dose was 2 g/day and the capsule has 200 mg, expect roughly no effect.
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