Taking vitamin supplements is an efficient way to get one’s daily recommended dose of crucial compounds, like the complex of nutrients known collectively as vitamin E. Not only is it a powerful antioxidant, but vitamin E may be able to mitigate the effects of a particular liver disease among children and some adults.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that vitamin E supplementation may help reduce the severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common hepatic illness among children.

A team of researchers determined as much after testing the effect of nearly two years’ worth of vitamin E on the livers of children with NAFLD.

They found that participants who took 400 international units of the nutrient twice a day were less likely to have nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) – an NAFLD-related condition that involves fatty liver tissue and scarring – compared to their peers.

After two years of the treatment, 58 percent of participants no longer had NASH, compared to 41 percent of kids on metformin, a drug that reverse insulin resistance.

Since similar studies found that the nutrient has moderate positive effects on adult livers, the team concluded that vitamin supplementation may contribute to improved hepatic health and wellness.