Micronutrients & recovery
Dietary supplementation with carotenoids (specifically β-cryptoxanthin and astaxanthin) prevents and reverses NASH progression by regulating macrophage/Kupffer cell polarization toward the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype.
Current research indicates that specific carotenoids, β-cryptoxanthin and astaxanthin, can reverse NASH in mouse models by shifting liver immune cells (Kupffer cells) from a pro-inflammatory state (M1) to a healing state (M2). However, the authors explicitly state there is currently no evidence that these carotenoids exhibit beneficial effects in human patients. Until human trials are conducted, these should be viewed as promising experimental mechanisms rather than established treatments.
Our recent research has shown that the dietary administration of β-cryptoxanthin or astaxanthin not only prevents but also reverses NASH progression in mice, by regulating M1/M2 macrophage/Kupffer cell polarization.
Why this rating
Evidence is derived from in vivo (mice) and in vitro (cell lines) studies; human clinical trial data is explicitly stated as lacking.
Source
Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Insulin Resistance: New Insights and Potential New Treatments
Hironori Kitade et al. · Nutrients · 2017
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