Antioxidant Found In Breast Milk Prevents Liver Disease [STUDY]

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A recent study suggests that an antioxidant commonly found in breast milk could help protect against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. They are known to prevent cell damage and can also be found in fruits and vegetables. They include Vitamins C and E, selenium, and carotenoids.

Preliminary research has shown that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables could aid in preventing chronic illness such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. However, it is not clear whether antioxidants protect against the diseases or other substances in fruits and vegetables do.

The new study links an antioxidant commonly found in breast milk and foods such as kiwi, soy, and celery to the reduced risk of developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD is a common cause of liver disease and accounts for 75 percent of all chronic liver diseases in the United States. It affects 20-30 percent of adults and 60 percent of obese adults in the United States.

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus conducted the study to investigate if an increased dose of pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) administered to a Pregnant, obese mice could halt the progression of NAFLD.

They fed high-fat, high-sugar Western diet to a group of pregnant mice so as to induce obesity and a healthful diet to another group of pregnant mice with a subgroup from each of the two groups receiving PQQ in their drinking water. The offspring were also fed the two diets for 20 weeks and also receiving PQQ from their mothers' breast milk in accordance to their respective groups.

The study authors found that, the mice fed with Western diet gained more weight than those fed with healthful diet. They also discovered that supplemental PQQ, whether administered before or after birth, had no impact on the weight gain, according MNT.

But the PQQ treatment reduced both liver and body fat in obese offspring and the liver fat in mice even before they were born. The authors noticed decreased indicators of oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory genes in obese mice that were given PQQ which invariably means that the antioxidant also reduced liver inflammation.

Interestingly, these positive effects persevered in the offspring after the PQQ was withdrawn as part of the weaning process.

PQQ is naturally found in soil, interstellar dust, and human breast milk. The antioxidant is critical for development in mammals, and it can also be found in a variety of plant foods, such as soy, celery, parsley, kiwi, and papaya.

The lead researcher, associate professor of anesthesiology and a physicist at CU Anschutz, Karen Jonscher, acknowledged the benefits of early PQQ diet supplementation to prevent liver disease. She noted that perhaps supplementing the diet of obese pregnant women with PQQ will be a therapeutic target worthy of further study in the battle to lower the risk of NAFLD in babies, according to New York News.

The authors cautioned that pregnant women should always consult with physician before taking any supplements. They published their findings in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.