Consumer Health

ALCYDON is fully committed to preventive health care through 100% natural (organic) foods with the possible potential to maintain and/or slightly adjust, when appropriate, a natural metabolism. Initially through the specific focus on maintaining healthy, natural liver function.

Preliminary site

An estimated 1.5 billion people have chronic liver disease worldwide and an estimated 1.2 million cirrhotics will die per year, making it one of the leading causes of death globally

Keeping metabolisms on course for as long as possible is the motivation

The aim of Alcydon is to look at health with a more integrated view.

Today, the broadly trained specialist is increasingly disappearing from the hospital scene and the trend towards super-specialization is gaining ground. A trend that is also supported by the fact that disciplines are becoming too big for one to handle. In addition, individual doctors have a preference for their own clearly defined limited field. If you supplement that with the romance of the all-knowing doctor, the line is clear.

An innovative future medicine could be a combination of the broad view of the generalist with the detailed knowledge and skills of the specialist. Progressive action will be taken when medicine also focuses on preventing chronic diseases in middle age, keeping young elderly people active for as long as possible and combating loneliness in old age.

Research suggests a potential link between liver health and ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders), particularly concerning mitochondrial function and metabolic processes. Studies have explored the role of the liver in ASD, highlighting potential connections with inflammation, oxidative stress, and gut-brain interactions.

In adult life, the liver is the biggest gland in the body, with both endocrine and exocrine functions. The major exocrine secretion consists of the production of bile, while endocrine functions include the secretion of several hormones such as insulin-like growth factors, angiotensinogen, and thrombopoietin. The liver is also indispensable for glycogen storage, drug detoxification, control of metabolism, regulation of cholesterol synthesis and transport, urea metabolism, and secretion of a wide number of plasma proteins including albumin and apolipoproteins [1]. In the foetus, the liver has two important properties: cardiovascular, being a vascular connection between the developing placental vessels to the heart, and haemopoietic, as a special tissue where blood stem cells reside before bone marrow development.

Newly discovered endocrine functions of the liver

The liver has many newly discovered endocrine functions, most of which are in regulating metabolism, underscoring the functioning of the liver as a major metabolic organ. Convincing evidence has shown that the liver regulates endocrine functions in mineral and fuel metabolism, especially in the metabolism of glucose and lipids via hepatokines and amino acids via negative feedback on pancreatic α cells. As research into the endocrine function of the liver is a rapidly evolving field, controversial findings often exist; caution needs to be taken when interpreting novel findings to avoid over-simplification of complex metabolic processes and premature allocationof research resources.

The liver has a nervous system containing both afferent and efferent neurons that are involved in a number of processes. The afferent arm includes the sensation of lipids, glucose, and metabolites (after eating and drinking) and triggers the nervous system to make appropriate physiological changes. The efferent arm is essential for metabolic regulation, modulation of fibrosis and biliary function and the control of a number of other processes. Experimental models have helped us to establish how: (i) the liver is innervated by the autonomic nervous system; and (ii) the cell types that are involved in these processes. Thus, the liver acts as both a sensor and effector that is influenced by neurological signals and ablation. Understanding these processes hold significant implications in disease processes such as diabetes and obesity, which are influenced by appetite and hormonal signals.