Milk thistle

Milk thistle/Nutrient Depletion:

  • CalciumCalcium: Studies have suggested that silymarin and silybin slow calcium metabolism (22).
  • GlucoseGlucose: Silymarin (e.g., Legalon?) has been reported to decrease fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, and fasting insulin levels in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes (30; 31; 32; 33; 34; 35; 36; 37).
  • IronIron: Studies have suggested that milk thistle may chelate iron (22). Treatment with a standardized silybin and soy phosphatidylcholine complex (IdB 1016) was associated with reduced body iron stores among patients with advanced Batts-Ludwig fibrosis and hepatitis C; an apparent effect on serum iron or transferrin-iron saturation was lacking (163). A reduced postprandial rise in serum iron level following the consumption of silybin (Legalon? Forte) has been observed in hereditary hemochromatosis patients (12). In patients with beta-thalassemia, adjunct administration of silymarin (Legalon?) to conventional desferrioxamine therapy decreased serum ferritin levels vs. baseline but lacked obvious treatment benefit vs. conventional therapy alone (47).
  • LipidsLipids: Early animal experimentation with silybin demonstrated decreased cholesterol synthesis (113) and reduced biliary excretion of cholesterol salts by 60-70%, while leaving biliary flow rates unchanged (114). In perfused livers from rats fed a high-cholesterol diet, silymarin normalized the clearance of LDL (115), providing significant protection against dietary-induced hypercholesterolemia (115). In human research, silymarin has been shown to lower levels of TC, TG, and LDL cholesterol (33; 34; 35; 116; 37).