Lipotropic Complex

...helps support a healthy liver through the proper metabolism of fats*2, 3, 4, 13, 23

Features & Benefits

• Promotes normal liver function*5, 18, 19

• Aids in the production and transportation of fats from the liver*3, 4

• Inhibits the accumulation of fat in the liver*10, 20

• Assists in the detoxification of metabolic wastes and toxins*5, 18

Facts About Lipotropic Complex

Lipotropics are a class of substances that play important roles in the body’s use of fat. Many substances have lipotropic properties: choline, inositol and methionine are among the most noteworthy.*1 Through their involvement in lipid (fat) metabolism, lipotropics help maintain a healthy liver.*2

Liver Function: 

The liver is the largest internal organ. Seated in the upper abdominal cavity, the liver is involved in several important functions, such as storing extra glucose (blood sugar) as glycogen, regulating blood levels of amino acids (protein “building blocks”), and producing important proteins for blood plasma. The liver also manufactures bile, which is necessary for the absorption of fat-soluble substances including many vitamins. A sluggish or congested liver can be caused by diminished bile flow and can lead to impaired liver function.

The liver is also responsible for detoxifying chemicals and filtering blood. The liver does this by extracting toxic substances from the bloodstream and altering their chemical structure so that they become water-soluble. The toxins can then be excreted from the body.

Choline & Inositol:

Choline and inositol are substances known as co-enzymes. They are required for the proper metabolism of fats, and have the ability to remove fat from the liver.*3, 4 Choline’s function in fat metabolism is tied to its role in bile production because bile acts as an emulsifier (allowing water and lipids to combine) to more readily transport fats. Without choline, fats can become trapped in the liver, where they can block normal metabolic functions.*5

Both of these lipotropes are important building blocks for cell walls (choline being a key component of phosphatidyl choline, or lecithin).*6 Choline (as a part of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine) and inositol are necessary for normal nerve and brain function.*7, 8

The body can produce choline, with the help of vitamin B12, folic acid and methionine. Natural choline production however, may not always be adequate to meet daily needs.*5 Studies show that diets deficient in choline lead to undesirable changes to liver, kidney and brain functions.*9 There is no established daily recommended intake for choline, but the average diet supplies between 500 mg and 1,000 mg of choline daily. The best dietary sources of choline are eggs, liver and other organ meats, brewer’s yeast, wheat germ and soybeans. A lack of inositol has been shown to produce an accumulation of triglycerides in the liver.*10 The average dietary intake of inositol, which is found in a wide variety of foods, is 1,000 mg daily.*11

Methionine:

Methionine, an essential sulfur-containing amino acid, has lipotropic properties similar to those of choline.*12 Two other important amino acids, cysteine and taurine, depend on adequate levels of methionine for their biosynthesis in the body. Methionine is one of the nutrients required during the body’s manufacture of  choline and a deficiency of this amino acid will adversely affect fat metabolism.*13

Ingredient Highlights

Herbs:

The herb milk thistle (Silybum marianum) contains a group of flavonoids, collectively referred to as silymarin, which are its active constituents.14, 15, 16  Silymarin enhances liver function by acting as an antioxidant, which lessens the presence of free radicals in the liver.*17 In addition, silymarin aids the liver by binding to the outside of liver cells, inhibiting the entrance of certain toxins which could otherwise interfere with normal liver function.*18

The formula also provides other herbs which have been traditionally used to help support liver function.*19 These are: Beet Root (Beta vulgaris rubra), Dandelion Root (Taraxacum officinale), Culvers Root (Leptandra virginica) and Barberry Root (Berberis vulgaris).

Other Ingredients:

Betaine is both produced by the body and present in foods such as broccoli, spinach, and sugar beets. Betaine, by increasing levels of a substance called S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), may reduce fatty infiltration of the liver.*20

Vitamin B6 indirectly participates in lipotropic activity because it is involved, along with folic acid, in the liver’s use of choline and methionine.

Lecithin is a rich source of  the lipotropes choline and inositol.

L-carnitine, synthesized from amino acids, helps convert fat into energy*21 by facilitating the entry of fatty acids into specialized areas of the cells called mitochondria. The mitochondria use carnitine to generate energy.*22

The amino acid taurine is a component of bile that is necessary for fat digestion.*23

The essential mineral chromium is a component of the glucose tolerance factor (GTF).*24 Chromium  assists in the process that produces fatty acids and may help maintain healthy cholesterol levels.*24, 25

Nature’s Life Lipotropic Complex

Nature’s Life Lipotropic Complex formula provides the full 1,000 mg potency of all three major lipotropes: choline, inositol, and methionine.

References

1. Newberne PM, Nauss KM, and de Camargo JL. Lipotropes, immuno-competence, and cancer. Cancer Res 1983;43:2426S-2434S

2. Newberne PM. Lipotropic factors and oncogenesis. Adv Exp Med Biol 1986;206:223-251

3. Ghoshal AK. New insight into the biochemical pathology of liver in choline deficiency. Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol 1995;30(4):263-273

4. Holub BJ. The nutritional significance, metabolism, and function of myo-inositol and phosphatidylinositol in health and disease. Adv Nutr Res 1982;4:107-141

5. Zeisel SH. Choline deficiency. J Nutr Biochem 1990;7(1):332-348

6. Anonymous. Choline: A conditionally essential nutrient for humans. Nutr Rev 1992;50(4):112-114

7. Zeisel SH, Da Costa K, Franklin PD, et al. Choline, an essential nutrient for humans. FASEB J 1991;5:2093- 2098

8. Holub BJ. Metabolism and function of myo-inositol and inositolphospholipids. Ann Rev Nutr 1986;6:563-597

9. Zeisel SH. Choline deficiency. J Nutr Biochem 1990;1(7):332-348

10. Holub BJ. The nutritional significance, metabolism and function of myoinositol and phosphatidyl inositol in health and disease. Adv Nutr Res 1982;4:107-141

11. Ibid

12. Rafique S, Guardascione M, Osman E, et al. Reversal of extrahepatic membrane cholesterol deposition in patients with chronic liver diseases by S-adenosyl-L-methionine. Clin Sci 1992;83(3):353-356

13. Chawla RK, Bonkovsky HL, and Galambos JT. Biochemistry and pharmacology of S-adenosyl-L-methionine and rationale for its use in liver disease. Drugs 1990;40(suppl 3):98-110

14. Dehmlow C et al. Inhibition of Kupffer cell functions as an explanation for the hepatoprotective properties of silibinin. Hepatology 1996;23(4):749-754

15. Feher J et al. Liver cell protection in toxic liver lesion. Acta Physiol Hung 1989;73(2-3):285-291

16. Feher J et al. Liver-protective action of silymarin therapy in chronic alcoholic liver diseases. Orv Hetil 1989;130(51):2723-2727

17. Feher J et al. Effect of silibinin on the activity and expression of superoxide dismutase in lymphocytes from patients with chronic alcoholic liver disease. Free Rad Res Comm 1987;3(6):373-377

18. Brown DJ. Herbal Prescriptions for Better Health. 1996, Prima Publishing: Rocklin, CA, pp. 151-158

19. Duke JA. The Green Pharmacy. 1997, Rodale Press: Emmaus PA, pp. 309-314

20. Barak AJ, Beckenhauer HC, and Tuma DJ. S-adenosylmethionine generation and prevention of alcoholic fatty liver by betaine. Alcohol 1994;11(6):501-503

21. Wilcken DE et al. The effects of betaine treatment in pyridoxine-responsive patients. Metabolism 1985;34(12):1115-1121

22. Rebouche CJ. Carnitine function and requirements during the life cycle. FASEB J 1992;6:3379-3386

23. Timbrell JA, Seabra V, and Waterfield CJ. The in vivo and in vitro protective properties of taurine. Gen Pharm 1995;26(3):453-462

24. Chromium metabolism and its role in disease processes in man. Clin Physiol Biochem 1986;4:31-41

25. The effect of Chromium Picolinate on serum cholesterol and apolipoprotein fractions in human subjects. Western J Med 1990;152:41-45