A Study on Efficacy of Chlorella on Chronic Hepatitis C Virusnfection has been published in an academic journal "WorldJournal of Gastroenterology"

The results of a clinical study conducted in the USA confirming the efficacy of Chlorella in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection was recently published in an online journal. It is presented below.

The paper can be downloaded free of charge from here (link to the Homepage of World Journal of Gastroenterology)

Objectives

The number of patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been tending to increase all over the world, with the estimated number being 160 million. In Japan, there are about 2 million patients with HCV infection at present. If hepatitis follows a chronic course, it can advance to liver cirrhosis or hepatic cancer. Because numerous previous reports suggested the immunostimulating and liver function-improving effects of Chlorella, its efficacy in patients with chronic HCV infection was investigated.

Methods

At a clinic in Massachusetts, USA, 18 patients with chronic HCV infection (serotype 1*) aged 18-65 and unable to receive interferon for reasons of adverse reactions, etc., were enrolled to this study. These patients were instructed to drink Chlorella (cell wall-pulverized Chlorella tablets and water extracts of Chlorella) for a study period of 12 weeks. To evaluate the efficacy of Chlorella, HCV level, AST (GOT) and ALT (GPT) were measured and QOL of patients were evaluated by physician's interview at the beginning and end of the study. This study was approved by the New England Institutional Review Board, USA, and each subject was informed fully as to the study design and issued written consent prior to the study.

Results

Thirteen patients completed 12-week study. Intake of Chlorella reduced ALT level significantly (P<0.05). AST levels were reduced in 9 (69.2%) of the 13 patients and tended to decrease on the whole. The RNA levels of HCV also decreased in 9 (69.2%) of the 13 patients. The RNA levels of HCV tended to decrease in patients showing improvement in ALT and AST levels. In evaluation of QOL, 10 patients (76.9%) showed improvement in "energy level" and 6 patients (46.1%) showed improvement in "perception of general health." These results suggest that Chlorella can improve liver function and reduce HCV level in patients with chronic HCV infection. These effects of Chlorella are estimated to be attributable to the immunostimulatory activity of Chlorella.

*HCV can be divided into several types according to serotype and gene type. Serotype 1 is unlikely to respond to interferon therapy.