Benefit of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide supplementation in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A pre–post study.

This article focuses on a 12-week clinical trial evaluating the therapeutic effects of oral Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) supplementation in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The study involved 13 adults with NAFLD who received daily 300 mg LBP capsules, with assessments including serum biochemical markers, gut microbiota composition via 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and metabolomics analysis. Results showed significant reductions in gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and direct bilirubin levels, along with increases in serum albumin and total protein, and an increase in the gut bacterial genus Gemmiger; metabolomic profiling revealed alterations in lipid metabolites and suggested modulation of linoleic acid metabolism. Correlation analyses indicated that LBP altered relationships between specific lipid metabolites and enzyme activities, notably between GGT and Her2Cer(d14:0_22:6). The study concludes that LBP supplementation may beneficially influence biochemical and microbiome parameters in NAFLD patients, but emphasizes the need for larger, controlled human trials to confirm these findings and clarify underlying mechanisms.