Camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia) decreases hepatic steatosis and improves circulating markers of liver injury in individuals with overweight and hypertriglyceridemia: a
randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial.
Anne-Laure Agrinier Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. 48: S57 (2023)
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease in the world, affecting 25% of the adult population. To date, no effective drug treatment against NAFLD is available.
Camu-camu (CC) is a polyphenol-rich fruit and studies in mice have shown that CC administration prevents hepatic steatosis in association with changes in the gut microbiota composition. However, no clinical trials have yet investigated whether CC could improve those parameters in humans. The objective was to determine the impact of 1.5 g/day of CC supplementation for 12 weeks on liver steatosis, gut microbiota composition, and metabolic profile changes in subjects with overweight and hypertriglyceridemia.
Thirty adults overweight (body mass index >25 kg/cm2) and hypertriglyceridemic (>1.35 mmol/L) were recruited in the greater
Québec city metropolitan area for a randomized, doubleblind, placebo-controlled crossover trial. For two 12-week periods interspersed with a 4-week transition period, participants consumed CC capsules (1.5g) or placebo (1.5g) daily. Visceral, subcutaneous, and hepatic fat were assessed by magnetic resonance imaging at the beginning and end of each phase. Lipid profiles, fasting glucose and insulin levels, and gut microbiota composition were also analyzed. Statistical
analyses were performed using SAS Studio and the PROC mixed procedure with potential confounders.
CC supplementation for 12 weeks decreased the relative hepatic fat content by 14.6% (p = 0.003) and plasma levels of aspartate
(p = 0.04) and alanine (p = 0.0006) transaminases. These improvements were associated with changes in gut microbiota composition. CC supplementation induced the growth of Enterococcus, Lactobacillus and Lactococcus, whereas the placebo increased the relative abundance of Adlercreutzia and Erysipelatoclostridium. Supplementation with 1.5 g of CC per day in subjects with overweight and hypertriglyceridemia decreased hepatic steatosis and levels of aspartate
and alanine transaminases, two markers of liver injury, as well as modifications in fecal microbiota, suggesting a prebiotic action of CC.
These data support the hepatoprotective potential of CC against NAFLD. Further studies on larger sample size are needed to confirm the beneficial effects of CC on cardiometabolic health.