As supplement use increases, so do cases of liver failure linked to them

We all know the basic tenets of living a healthy lifestyle, exercising, eating healthy, and for many, taking vitamins and supplements

But it turns out some supplements built to help you live longer could actually be putting your life at risk

It all comes down to your liver, the organ responsible for filtering harmful substances from the blood

And while your liver works hard to do that, it can be overwhelmed by certain drugs or supplements

leading to something called drug-induced liver injury, also known as toxic hepatitis

Acetaminophen, more commonly known under the brand name Tylenol, is a good example

It is one of the most common causes of toxic hepatitis. But as more people use supplements, more cases are popping up

According to a 2024 survey by the Council for Responsible Nutrition, as many as three out of four or 75 percent of American adults take some form of supplement

whether it be herbal or dietary. And nearly four in five say they would rather take supplements

than prescription or over-the-counter medications. Comparatively, the CDC's most recent study done on

the subject shows that between 2017 and 2018 just a little over half of adults 20 and older had used to supplement in the last 30 days A study published in the medical journal Liver Transplantation in 2022 found the number of patients added to the wait list

for a transplant because of supplement-related liver failure increased eightfold, from 2.9% in 1995

to 24.1% in 2020. Experts say it's hard to figure out what the exact culprit is

A 2017 study by the American Association for the study of liver diseases found 20% of liver toxicity cases in the United States could

be linked to dietary or herbal supplements. But since the supplements contain multiple ingredients

they're not sure which one or ones are to blame. However, there are some you can make sure to look

out for. A study published last year out of the University of Michigan found six common ingredients

can definitively be tied to toxic hepatitis, turmeric, green tea extract, ashwagandha

garcinia, cambogia, red yeast rice, and black cohosh. The study's authors said about 15 million

Americans take at least one of those supplements. Since supplements are not regulated in the same

way medications are, you cannot always be sure what you're getting or if the dosage is correct

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