Whistle blown on milk thistle supplement

A study just presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases has found that, despite its popularity, milk thistle extract provides no benefit for hepatitis C patients.

A randomized trial from the University of North Carolina found that milk thistle (also known as the botanical compound silymarin) was no better than a placebo at improving liver function. Because patients often take silymarin as an alternative to conventional hepatitis C treatment, Dr. Michael Fried and colleagues investigated the supplement s efficacy on patients who had not responded to standard therapies. Within this group of 154 patients, who were assigned to either high doses of silymarin or a placebo, there was no significant difference in treatment outcomes that is, neither group derived any benefit.

People fail to understand that herbal supplements have risks and benefits just like all other drugs, says ACSH s Dr. Josh Bloom. The problem with supplements is that neither the risks nor the benefits are well-studied, so it is impossible to know whether something will do good, bad, or nothing. He adds, This hoax has been perpetrated on the American public for many years, and shows no sign of abating. Actual cures are now available for hepatitis C, so a patient trying milk thistle will do harm to himself by not getting real treatment.

It s good to see some real science on the issue of supplement efficacy, says ACSH s Dr. Ruth Kava. Now if consumers would just pay attention to such studies, we might have fewer dangerous reactions to these supplements.