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How to Take Milk Thistle for Bodybuilding
Milk thistle is commonly used by bodybuilders and athletes focused on weight gain as a complement to protein and nutritional supplements. Many believe milk thistle is integral in improving liver function and protecting it from damage that may occur with supplement use. Milk thistle is also touted as a toxin-removing "cleanse." However, milk thistle's purported benefits have not all been proven by medical science, and it does have the potential for uncomfortable side effects 1.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
Purchase milk thistle in one of the four following forms: as a dried herb capsule, liquid or alcohol extract, tincture or silymarin phosphatidylcholine complex. The latter complex is the most popular form because its high level of silymarin makes it easier for the body to absorb milk thistle. Alcohol extract should not be taken if you are using milk thistle to help cope with liver damage from alcohol.
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Take 200 to 400 mg of milk thistle 1 to 3 times each day, if you are taking the supplement. If you are taking milk thistle as a dried herb, consume 12 to 15 grams of the dried herb with a meal.
Grind dried milk thistle and put it into a cereal, oatmeal or other flavorful food. Many people don't like the taste of the supplement and prefer to disguise it in another food. Conversely, you can bring water to a boil and put milk thistle in it to make tea.
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If you are using a liquid milk thistle extract, add it to juice or another flavored beverage to make the supplement more palatable.
Warnings
Talk to your doctor and make sure consuming milk thistle will not interfere with any other medications or supplements you are taking.
Increased cholesterol and testosterone levels are potential consequences of taking bodybuilding substances, but milk thistle is not proven to help.
Milk thistle is not an alternative to seeking professional help if you have liver problems or any other medical condition.
If you are using a packaged milk thistle supplement, always follow the manufacturer's instructions.
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References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Milk Thistle
- Harvard Health Beat: Intestinal Cleansing
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Milk Thistle. Updated September 2016.
- Abenavoli L, Capasso R, Milic N, Capasso F. Milk thistle in liver diseases: past, present, future. Phytother Res. 2010;24(10):1423-32. doi:10.1002/ptr.3207
- Salmi HA, Sarna S. Effect of silymarin on chemical, functional, and morphological alterations of the liver. A double-blind controlled study. Scand J Gastroenterol. 1982;17(4):517-21. doi:10.3109/00365528209182242
- Seeff LB, Curto TM, Szabo G, et al. Herbal product use by persons enrolled in the hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment Against Cirrhosis (HALT-C) Trial. Hepatology. 2008;47(2):605-12. doi:10.1002/hep.22044
- Fried MW, Navarro VJ, Afdhal N, et al. Effect of silymarin (milk thistle) on liver disease in patients with chronic hepatitis C unsuccessfully treated with interferon therapy: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2012;308(3):274-82. doi:10.1001/jama.2012.8265
- Ebrahimpour koujan S, Gargari BP, Mobasseri M, Valizadeh H, Asghari-jafarabadi M. Effects of Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn. (silymarin) extract supplementation on antioxidant status and hs-CRP in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Phytomedicine. 2015;22(2):290-6. doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2014.12.010
- Kazazis CE, Evangelopoulos AA, Kollas A, Vallianou NG. The therapeutic potential of milk thistle in diabetes. Rev Diabet Stud. 2014;11(2):167-74. doi:10.1900/RDS.2014.11.167
- Ebrahimpour, K.; Gargari, B.; Mobasseri, M. et al. Effects of Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn. (silymarin) extract supplementation on antioxidant status and hs-CRP in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Phytomedicine. 2015 Feb 15;22(2):290-6. DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2014.12.010.
- Fried, M.; Navarro, V.; Afdhal, N. et al. Effect of silymarin (milk thistle) on liver disease in patients with chronic hepatitis C unsuccessfully treated with interferon therapy: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2012 Jul 18;308(3):274-82. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2012.8265.
- Rambaldi, A.; Jacobs, B.; Iaquinto G, Gluud C. Milk thistle for alcoholic and/or hepatitis B or C liver diseases--a systematic Cochrane hepato-biliary group review with meta-analyses of randomized clinical trials. Am J Gastroenterol. 2005 Nov;100(11):2583-91. DOI: 10.1111/j.1572-0241.2005.00262.x.
- Salmi, H. and Sarna, S. Effect of silymarin on chemical, functional, and morphological alterations of the liver. A double-blind controlled study. Scan J Gastroenterol. 1982;17:517–21.
- Seeff, L.; Curto, T.; Szabo, G. et al. Herbal product use by persons enrolled in the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment Against Cirrhosis (HALT-C) Trial. Hepatology. 2008;47(2):605-12. DOI: 10.1002/hep.22044.
- Voroneanu, L.; Nistor, I.; Dumea, R. et al. Silymarin in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. J Diabetes Res. 2016;2016:5147468. DOI: 10.1155/2016/5147468.
Warnings
- Talk to your doctor and make sure consuming milk thistle will not interfere with any other medications or supplements you are taking.
- Increased cholesterol and testosterone levels are potential consequences of taking bodybuilding substances, but milk thistle is not proven to help.
- Milk thistle is not an alternative to seeking professional help if you have liver problems or any other medical condition.
- If you are using a packaged milk thistle supplement, always follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Writer Bio
Jonathan Croswell has spent more than five years writing and editing for a number of newspapers and online publications, including the "Omaha World-Herald" and "New York Newsday." Croswell received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Nebraska and is currently pursuing a Master's of Health and Exercise Science at Portland State University.