Study: Effect of Mastic supplementation on NAFLD: The MAST4HEALTH Randomised, Controlled Trial

About NAFLD (fatty liver)

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a build-up of fat in the liver that isn’t caused by alcohol — the most common liver disorder. It is a medical condition diagnosed and managed by a doctor. The research below is provided for information only.

In short: This page summarises a 2021 clinical trial, MAST4HEALTH, which investigated Chios mastic as a non-pharmacological intervention in NAFLD. Mastic has been studied for antioxidant and lipid-related activity, which set the rationale for the trial.

Please note: This is a summary of one independent clinical trial, provided for information. It is not a health claim. Mastic is a food supplement, not a medicine or a treatment for NAFLD. For any liver concern, please see your doctor.

Methods and results

Ninety-eight patients with NAFLD across three countries (Greece, Italy, Serbia) were randomly allocated to either mastic or placebo for 6 months, in a multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial. NAFLD severity was assessed by MRI (LiverMultiScan), alongside medical, anthropometric, biochemical, metabolomic and microbiota measures.

Overall, mastic was not superior to placebo for changes in iron-corrected T1 (cT1) and the Liver Inflammation Fibrosis score (LIF) across the whole group. However, after stratifying by BMI, severely obese patients (BMI > 35 kg/m²) showed an improvement in cT1 and LIF on mastic versus placebo. Mastic also increased gut-microbiota dissimilarity (Bray-Curtis index), downregulated Flavonifractor (an inflammation-associated taxon), and decreased certain lipid metabolites (LysoPC 18:1, LysoPE 18:1) and cholic acid versus placebo.

Conclusion

The authors concluded that mastic supplementation improved microbiota dysbiosis and lipid-metabolite levels in patients with NAFLD, while it reduced markers of liver inflammation/fibrosis only in severely obese patients. You can read the full study here.

Chios mastic — NAFLD clinical trial (MAST4HEALTH)

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