Fruit infusion trial reports greater ALT reductions during childhood leukemia treatment
Compared with silymarin, Naqu Fawakeh showed a larger fall in a liver enzyme, but the abstract cannot establish protection from liver injury.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
In children receiving maintenance chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the fruit infusion Naqu Fawakeh produced a larger reduction in ALT than silymarin. Both groups also showed lower AST. These are liver-enzyme findings; the abstract does not demonstrate fewer cases of liver injury, better leukemia outcomes or a benefit over placebo.
There was no placebo group, and the abstract gives no numerical size for the ALT difference. Its brief follow-up and limited safety reporting cannot establish long-term safety.
What researchers found
ALT liver-enzyme level
Compared with silymarin after 8 weeks; the between-group difference was statistically significant, but its numerical size was not reported.
An active-product comparison
Researchers compared the fruit infusion with silymarin while assessing liver enzymes and chemotherapy-related symptoms before and after treatment. The trial therefore addresses a comparison between active products, without a placebo benchmark.
Symptoms and safety observations
Nausea, vomiting and thirst improved in both groups. Among these symptoms, only thirst showed a statistically significant between-group difference. No adverse kidney or blood-related effects were observed, which leaves broader safety uncertain.
The original publication
Efficacy of a traditional persian fruit infusion (Naqu Fawakeh) versus silymarin in reducing chemotherapy-induced hepatotoxicity in pediatric ALL: A triple-blind randomized clinical trial.
Ettehadi F, Zekavat OR, Tavakkoli A et al.
Explore (NY) · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41072084
- Record checked
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