Research

Hormonal

Histidine supplementation is inappropriate for patients with liver disease due to the risk of hepatic enlargement and increased blood ammonia and glutamine levels.

If you have liver disease, do not take histidine supplements. The paper indicates this can cause your liver to enlarge and increase toxic ammonia levels in your blood. Stick to dietary sources unless advised otherwise by your doctor.

GoodRefutesHIGH confidence
Of concern should be findings of hepatic enlargement and increases in ammonia and glutamine and of decrease in branched-chain amino acids (valine, leucine, and isoleucine) in blood plasma indicating that HIS supplementation is inappropriate in patients with liver disease.
Milan Holeček · Nutrients · 2020

Why this rating

Based on a review of metabolic pathways and observed plasma changes, though specific clinical trial data for liver patients is not detailed in the abstract.

Source

Histidine in Health and Disease: Metabolism, Physiological Importance, and Use as a Supplement

Milan Holeček · Nutrients · 2020

DOI 10.3390/nu12030848

narrative_reviewCited 458×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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