Bodybuilding and Liver Health: What is the connection?

In the process of getting those perfect muscles and strength, athletes tend to consume supplements which can be hazardous to their liver due to many reasons:

• Excessive Use of Supplementation
• Steroid Usage
• Increased Alcohol consumption
• Irregular Food Intake
• Environmental Factors

The liver is the storehouse of all the nutrients and all the important processes begin from the liver. The first sign and symptoms of liver damage that an athlete might observe would be an elevated level of ALT and AST (liver enzymes) in their blood. Many bodybuilders also see the liver damage first symptoms like jaundice, which often occurs due to an abnormal buildup of bilirubin. Bilirubin is formed when red blood cells break down. Since it can’t be excreted in the bile, it basically backs up into the body and causes yellowing of skin and eyes.

This is a clear warning to stop excessive use of supplementations which is not certified to be safe for consumption and have steroids or harmful substances.

Milk Thistle can be your answer to those regrets. Distinctive purple flowers and white veins, which traditional stories say were caused by a drop of the Virgin Mary’s milk falling onto its leaves.

This herb has been long studied to effectively cleanse the liver. It’s active compound Silymarin plays the role of cleansing the liver which gets overloaded with toxic materials. The main enzymes in milk thistle include Silymarin, a flavonoid complex containing silybin, silydianin, and silychrisin, which has several other functions:

Health Benefits of Milk Thistle

• Improve liver function
• Treatment of gallbladder disorder
• Is a powerful antioxidant
• Keeps your heart healthy
• Protects against free radical damage

In this way, Milk thistle helps in boosting the stamina of bodybuilders by removing toxic materials and maintaining a proper antioxidant level in the body.

There are studied side effects observed on milk thistle consumption, but it is advised to consult a healthcare professional before its use.

After a continuous intake of steroids, pro-hormones, thermogenic, or any other supplement, athletes find it extremely difficult to away its body from this supplementation and hence the addition of natural milk thistle will help in better liver health and performance.