The Effect of GeriLact on Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Abstract

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease which is correlated with overweight, obesity, and insulin resistance. Recently, the use of probiotics has been suggested for these patients as they have considerable outcomes. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effect of GeriLact on patients with NAFLD. Method: In this randomized clinical trial, 61 patients with NAFLD were recruited and randomly assigned to groups receiving GeriLact, 500 mg, twice per day, or placebo (with the same dose) for sixty days. Weight, body mass index (BMI), lipid profile, fasting blood sugar (FBS), Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), and sonographic grading were evaluated before and at the end of the study. Results: In the GeriLact group, there was a significant decrease in ALT (p=0.002) and AST (p <0.001) levels, while the placebo group showed a significant decrease only in ALT level (p=0.01). There was a significant decrease in cholesterol levels in the intervention group compared to the placebo group (p=0.01), but there were no significant changes in FBS, triglycerides, LDL, and HDL levels between the two groups. The fatty liver grade was improved by 63.6% in the intervention group and by 46.4% in the placebo group. Conclusion: The results showed that probiotics caused significant improvement in ALT, AST, and cholesterol levels but had no effects on FBS, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Overall, treatment with GeriLact was found to be effective, safe, with low cost and well-tolerated in the long term use by the patients.