Use of supplement before surgery may improve liver regeneration

Taking a supplement before a hepatectomy, a surgery in which part of the liver is removed, may help the organ recover more quickly and become more resistant to further damage.

This is the main finding of a study conducted by researchers at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.

The researchers investigated the effects of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) in an experimental model using mice.

The results indicate that preoperative use of the supplement preserves the energy function of liver cells and improves the quality of regeneration following major injury.

These results were published in March in the journal Acta Physiologica. ...