6 vitamins for liver health

In this article:

• 6 vitamins and supplements for liver health
• Liver supplements that need more research
• Are liver supplements beneficial?
• What vitamins can be hard on the liver?
• What to look for in vitamins for liver health

In this article

• 6 vitamins and supplements for liver health
• Liver supplements that need more research
• Are liver supplements beneficial?
• What vitamins can be hard on the liver?
• What to look for in vitamins for liver health

Your liver plays an essential role in maintaining your health by acting as a filter to remove toxins and waste from your blood. When it’s not working properly, it can have serious negative consequences, such as jaundice, mental confusion, edema, or electrolyte imbalances. Because it’s such an important organ, there are lots of supplements that claim to support liver function. Not all of them work, but some people can benefit from vitamins for liver health—mainly those with digestive diseases, food intolerances, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), or cirrhosis. The most common vitamins and supplements that experts recommend include vitamin D, vitamin K, and omega-3 fatty acids, but there are a few others, too.

6 vitamins and supplements for liver health

If you have trouble eating a healthy diet or have a gastrointestinal condition that impacts vitamin absorption, you may have a vitamin deficiency that contributes to poor liver health, says Kristin Kirkpatrick, RD, dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic Department of Wellness and Preventive Medicine. Taking a multivitamin is a good place to start, says Kirkpatrick. It can help you make sure you’re getting the full range of nutrients your liver needs to perform at its best. Or, if you have a chronic liver disease, certain vitamins and minerals may be beneficial.

There’s no single supplement that magically transforms liver function or guarantees a healthy liver. Still, your healthcare provider may recommend one of the following vitamins based on their knowledge of your overall health and typical diet.

1. Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency may increase the risk of cirrhosis, and once liver disease develops, it can be difficult to restore vitamin D levels. In patients with cirrhosis, vitamin D deficiency has been reported to increase the risk of infection and death. In patients with liver cancer, vitamin D deficiency is associated with poorer outcomes. 

Additionally, Kirkpatrick says that vitamin D deficiencies are somewhat more likely in certain liver conditions. A 2010 study suggests that people with severe liver failure and cholestatic liver disease often have low levels of vitamin D. In those people, supplementing with vitamin D could be helpful, but it is important to know that there are no studies that show improved outcomes after vitamin D supplementation There’s no firm guidance on how much vitamin D supplementation people with liver disease may need. Studies recommend doses ranging from 800 to 2000 IU per day for people with cirrhosis or cholestatic liver disease. People who have malnutrition and liver disease may require even higher doses, with a goal 25-hydroxyvitamin D level of more than 30 ng/mL. 

2. Vitamin K

Vitamin K works as an antioxidant to help the body get rid of harmful cells, says Nancy Ampadu, NMD, a physician with Sonoran University of Health Sciences in Arizona. It may play an important role in protecting against NAFLD. Vitamin K is also responsible for producing many of the factors necessary to form blood clots and stop bleeding.

Vitamin K deficiency is often seen in patients with liver disease. In patients with vitamin K deficiency, increasing vitamin K levels may help to prevent complications of NAFLD or slow down its progression. Additionally, vitamin K could improve liver function in people with cirrhosis and promote liver regeneration in people who have had a partial hepatectomy or liver resection. This nutrient has other health benefits, including improving immune system function, reducing inflammation, and aiding the gut microbiome.

The recommended dose of vitamin K can range between 90 and 120 mcg daily, so be sure to check with your provider before taking it, Dr. Ampadu says. However, men with or at high risk for prostate cancer, people with hemorrhagic stroke or heart failure, people with blood clotting disorders, and people on anticoagulants should not take vitamin K supplements.

3. Choline

Choline is a nutrient produced in the liver that helps with many different body functions. However, the liver doesn’t make all the choline you need. You need to get some from your diet by eating beef, beef liver, egg yolks, fish, legumes, and chicken. People who don’t consume enough dietary choline are at a higher risk for fatty liver and liver disease because one of choline’s jobs is to remove fat from the liver. In some studies, a higher dietary choline intake was associated with lowering the risk of NAFLD.

Although it’s unclear how much choline you need to support liver health, the recommended intake of choline for most people is 425 to 550 milligrams per day.

4. Vitamin C

You may think of vitamin C as an immune-boosting vitamin, but it can have positive effects on your liver, too. A 2021 study found that 1,000 milligrams per day of vitamin C supplementation improved several metrics of liver health, especially for people with NAFLD. Additionally, a 2014 review of studies points to evidence that people with NAFLD are more likely to be deficient in vitamin C, leaving them more prone to inflammation and oxidative stress.

5. Omega-3s

There’s some evidence that omega-3 fatty acids can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in liver disease and may also help reduce the storage of excess fat in the liver, says Kirkpatrick. A comprehensive 2023 review of studies suggests that omega-3s may lower a person’s risk for developing liver disease.

There’s a caveat, though: Not all types of omega-3s are created equal for liver health. A 2015 study found that DHA was much better than EPA on the liver health scale, particularly for preventing tissue scarring caused by NAFLD. When supplementing with omega-3s for a targeted health goal, you may need to take anywhere from 200 to 1000 milligrams per day.

6. Probiotics

Your liver and your gut are connected through your gut microbiome (this is called the gut-liver axis), and some studies suggest that maintaining the right balance of intestinal flora can improve liver inflammation and slow down the progression of some symptoms of liver disease. One way to do this is by taking a probiotic. “Probiotics have been shown to potentially improve fatty liver disease via benefits to the microbiome, alleviating liver injury and strengthening the intestinal barrier,” says Kirkpatrick.

A 2023 review of studies points to several studies looking at the connection between probiotic strains and liver health in humans; many of the study participants had some form of NAFLD, were given one or more probiotic strains (often including several Lactobacillus strains), and most of the studies found at least one positive effect on participants after the use of probiotics.

Liver supplements that need more research

Some herbal supplements have shown some potential to be beneficial for liver health, but as with most herbal supplements, more research is needed to study their effects.

• Milk thistle: This flowering herb contains an active compound called silymarin that has been linked in some studies to protecting liver cells, preventing liver damage, and reducing liver-related deaths. However, the studies so far haven’t been comprehensive, and there is still a lot of research to be done. Meanwhile, some other studies have not found a significant improvement in liver outcomes in people supplementing with milk thistle.
• Dandelion root: Dr. Ampadu says dandelion root has antioxidant properties and reduces oxidative stress, which are effects that could benefit the liver. Some studies on rodents show positive effects in preventing scarring in NAFLD, but so far, there haven’t been any clinical studies on humans.

It’s important to remember that herbal supplements aren’t regulated by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) like prescription drugs. You should use them with caution and under the supervision of a medical professional.

Are liver supplements beneficial?

Liver supplements can be beneficial, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach, says Kirkpatrick. You should always talk to your healthcare provider before deciding to use a vitamin or supplement to improve your liver health since many of these products can have side effects, be unsafe for use in people with certain medical conditions, or interfere with other medications you may be taking. Many medications and medical conditions could potentially interact with liver vitamins.

It’s also important to note that the people who benefit most from liver vitamins and supplements tend to be people with existing liver disease, like NAFLD or liver cirrhosis. In other words, it’s unlikely you need to take a vitamin to improve your liver health if you are an otherwise healthy person without any chronic health conditions that affect your liver or your ability to get enough daily nutrients.

What vitamins can be hard on the liver?

Even if a vitamin or supplement you’re taking doesn’t do much to improve your liver health, most won’t be harmful to your liver, either, even in higher doses. However, there are a few exceptions. A 2017 study reports that herbal and dietary supplements cause 20% of cases of hepatotoxicity in the U.S.

1. Vitamin A: Regularly taking high doses of vitamin A can be toxic to the liver and have other adverse effects, including harming fetuses during pregnancy. The upper limit of intake for vitamin A is 9000 IU daily, but it is important to know that toxicity has been documented with doses over 8000 IU daily. This is called hypervitaminosis A, and it usually begins a few months after starting high doses of vitamin A. Because vitamin A is stored in liver cells, high amounts can accumulate there and damage the cells. Liver damage due to hypervitaminosis A is reversible in the early stages but can cause severe side effects and complications if left untreated.
2. Niacin: Also known as vitamin B3, niacin can cause liver toxicity (or hepatoxicity) when taken in high amounts (more than 500 milligrams daily)—especially in extended-release forms. Fatigue, itching, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes), nausea, and vomiting can be symptoms of liver toxicity. Niacin hepatoxicity can range from a mild, temporary injury that resolves once you stop supplementing with niacin to severe acute liver failure. 
3. Ashwagandha: Although rare, Dr. Ampadu says there have been case reports of liver damage in people taking ashwagandha supplements. These effects reversed after stopping the supplement in people with no prior history of liver disease, she adds. Still, there have been cases of severe liver injury and even death in people who had a prior history of liver disease.

What to look for in vitamins for liver health

Vitamins and supplements marketed as promoting liver health often make big promises. They claim to be antioxidants for your liver. But what these products don’t tell you is that your liver already does these things as part of its daily functioning—it doesn’t usually need a supplement! And even if your liver isn’t operating at its best, there’s no evidence that a supplement alone will help much.

That said, there’s a time and place for vitamins that may help your liver. Some people need a dietary boost because of nutritional deficiencies, and others benefit from vitamin supplementation in addition to the medications they take to manage chronic liver disease.

Here are some things to look for when shopping for vitamins for liver health, per Dr. Ampadu:

• Read the label and ingredients to make sure the vitamin actually contains what it says it does
• Be wary of “proprietary blends” that don’t list what ingredients are specifically included
• Check the serving size to see if it matches the therapeutic dose recommended by your healthcare provider (this helps prevent underdosing, overdosing, or toxicity)
• Choose a product with a good rating from an accredited third-party organization to be sure the vitamin or supplement you’re taking is free from harmful or untested ingredients

If you’re unsure, don’t hesitate to ask your pharmacist or healthcare provider for advice.