Research

Hormonal

Probiotic therapy significantly reduces liver aminotransferases (ALT, AST), total cholesterol, TNF-α, and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

If you have been diagnosed with fatty liver (NAFLD), adding a probiotic supplement (specifically strains like Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium) for at least 8 weeks may help lower liver enzymes, cholesterol, and improve insulin sensitivity. This is not a replacement for diet and exercise, but a potential supportive therapy to discuss with your doctor.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Probiotic therapies can reduce liver aminotransferases, total-cholesterol, TNF-α and improve insulin resistance in NAFLD patients.
Han Ma · World Journal of Gastroenterology · 2013

Why this rating

Based on a meta-analysis of 4 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with moderate sample sizes (134 patients total) and generally high methodological quality (Jadad score ≥ 4).

Source

Effects of probiotics on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A meta-analysis

Han Ma · World Journal of Gastroenterology · 2013

DOI 10.3748/wjg.v19.i40.6911

Meta-analysis · 4 studiesCited 353×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →