Hepatologist reveals most dangerous supplement for your liver: 'Dermatologists please stop prescribing...'
If you're considering green tea extract supplements, here's what Dr Cyriac Abby Philips aka The Liver Doc wants you to know before you ‘gamble with your life’.
Dr Cyriac Abby Philips, a hepatologist, who is known as The Liver Doc on social media shared a 'public service announcement' on Instagram on May 31. In his post titled 'The most dangerous supplement for your liver', he warned against the use of supplements with green tea extracts. Also read | Doctor recommends adding these top magnesium-rich foods to your diet to avoid fatty liver

Check your supplements
Dr Philips said, “This herb and its extract are now the most common upcoming cause of liver injury and liver failure in the West. Herbal and dietary supplements manufacturers 'claim' a lot of health benefits of using this herbal extract.”
He added: “All these 'claimed' benefits are not backed by good scientific data. These are blind promotions to increase business and sales of this herbal extract. Even modern medicine pharmaceutical companies add this herbal extract to a lot of their vitamin and nutritional supplements.”
His message for patients and doctors
He mentioned how 'a lot of modern medicine practitioners, mainly dermatologists and general practitioners' prescribe tablets and pills containing this herbal extract without the knowledge of how harmful this supplement is. He asked dermatologists and physicians to check supplements they are prescribing to patients and 'see if they are causing unintentional harm'.
Dr Philips went on to explain what science actually says about green tea extracts as he 'debunked claims and confirmed the risks'. He said, “Dermatologists, please stop prescribing green tea extract-based supplements to your patients. It does nothing for their hair growth or skin, or nails and is potentially liver toxic… patients, if you are on supplements prescribed by dermatologists, please check them for green tea extracts and throw them away in the garbage bin.”
Are green tea extracts safe for you take?
He went on to explain what science actually says about green tea extracts as he 'debunked claims and confirmed the risks', which included:
⦿ Dr Philips said, “Weight loss and metabolic hype: The largest independent evaluation found green tea extracts produced a mean extra weight loss of only around 1 kg over 12 weeks – clinically useless.”
⦿ He added, “Cardiometabolic and cancer claims remain unproven: Meta analysises show modest LDL reduction but no demonstrated impact on hard outcomes, effects disappeared when caffeine-matched controls were used... green tea extracts have no benefits against heart disease or malignancy.”
‘A gamble with your life’
Dr Philips further said that 'liver toxicity and liver failure are real, not anecdotal' and listed how using supplements with green tea extracts can promote liver damage, and cause severe hepatitis, among other health risks. He also said, “Basically, you never know what you are getting inside your supplements because these are not regulated strictly like prescription drugs are: a gamble with your life.”
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
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