The gut microbiome is in constant dialogue with the rest of the body — immunity, metabolism, inflammation, and the liver included. Volume 18 of the Secrets of a Healthy Liver series examines what probiotics can and cannot do in digestive and liver disease.
Secrets of a Healthy Liver — Volume 18
Probiotics and Liver & Digestive Health
Gut bacteria were once thought to do little more than help digest food. They are now understood to be in continuous dialogue with the immune system, metabolism, inflammation, and mental health — and with the liver. Prof. Seyed-Moayed Alavian examines what probiotics can genuinely contribute, and where the claims outrun the evidence.
Publisher
Series
Secrets of a Healthy Liver, Volume 18
Language
English
Subject
Gut microbiome, probiotics, and hepatology
Audience
Physicians, students, and the general public
Availability
Contact the publisher
Interested in this book?
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About this book
Modern medicine has advanced considerably in diagnosing and treating liver and gastrointestinal disease. What has changed the perspective most in recent years, though, is a deeper understanding of the gut microbiome — and of its relationship with liver health in particular.
The billions of microorganisms in the intestine were once credited only with helping digest food. They are now known to participate in regulating immunity, metabolism, inflammation, and mental health, and in the prevention of chronic disease. They do not simply coexist with us; they are in constant exchange with the body.
Probiotics — live beneficial bacteria, whether from traditional foods such as yogurt and kefir or from pharmaceutical preparations — have attracted intense public and professional interest. As with any fast-moving field, some questions remain open and misinformation circulates freely.
This volume examines the role of probiotics in preventing and supporting treatment of gastrointestinal and liver disease, with particular attention to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, irritable bowel syndrome, functional gastrointestinal disorders, and more advanced conditions including cirrhosis.
What the book covers
The gut microbiome
What the intestinal microbial community does, and how it communicates with the rest of the body.
The gut–liver axis
Why intestinal health and liver health are so closely connected.
Fatty liver disease
Evidence on probiotics as supportive treatment in NAFLD.
IBS and functional disorders
Where probiotics have shown benefit in common digestive complaints.
Advanced liver disease
Their role, and its limits, in cirrhosis and related conditions.
Food versus supplement
Yogurt and kefir compared with pharmaceutical preparations.
Note. This book is health education, not individual medical advice. Probiotic effects are strain-specific and dose-specific — results for one product do not transfer to another — and people who are severely immunocompromised, critically ill, or have central venous catheters should not take probiotics without specialist advice. Discuss use with your clinician if you have advanced liver disease or a compromised immune system.