IO Genix LIV+PRO - Liver Protector Detox

What is IO Genix LIV+PRO?

IO Genix LIV+PRO is a capsule complex bringing together twelve ingredients. A two-capsule serving delivers 280 mg of milk thistle extract standardised to 80% silymarin, 200 mg of artichoke, 75 mg of choline, 75 mg of N-acetylcysteine, 50 mg of methionine, 50 mg of inositol, 20 mg of glutathione, 20 mg of S-adenosylmethionine and three B-group vitamins. The 60-capsule bottle covers 30 days.

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is the central ingredient. It is a common thistle from around the Mediterranean, whose seeds contain a group of compounds known as silymarin. Standardisation to 80% means that this concentration is guaranteed from one batch to the next, which is the best indicator of a serious plant extract.

Around it, the manufacturer has assembled artichoke in two forms — standardised extract and powder —, four sulphur-bearing or related compounds, and three B vitamins. The rest of the Spanish range appears in our IO Genix aisle, and N-acetylcysteine sold on its own in our NAC aisle.

What does a serving of LIV+PRO contain?

Twelve ingredients, twelve doses: the transparency of this formula is genuine and deserves credit. In an aisle where "liver complexes" often settle for a list with no figures, every line here is quantified, including the most modest ones. That allows an honest judgement — one that is not uniformly flattering, as what follows shows.

Milk thistle is the only ingredient genuinely dosed at the level you would expect: 280 mg of extract standardised to 80% silymarin is a substantial amount. Artichoke follows at 200 mg across both forms. The other eight actives, by contrast, are present in modest quantities: 20 mg of glutathione or 20 mg of S-adenosylmethionine are token doses compared with what you find in products that sell them on their own. That is not a flaw in itself — it is the principle behind a complex — but you should know that the formula rests on milk thistle, not on its twelve lines.

Only three ingredients carry claims authorised in Europe, and they are the B vitamins. At 40%, 50% and 39% of the reference value, the thresholds are comfortably met: thiamine contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism, riboflavin contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, vitamin B6 contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism and to the normal functioning of the nervous system. Those are the exact wordings, and they are the only ones we will write.

One case deserves explaining in detail because it is instructive. Choline does have authorised claims, including one relating to the maintenance of normal liver function. But it is subject to a threshold of 82.5 mg of choline per serving. The 75 mg listed, however, refer to choline bitartrate, a salt in which choline accounts for only around 41% of the weight: that works out at roughly 31 mg of actual choline. The threshold is therefore not met and the claim does not apply to this product. This is precisely the kind of detail nobody checks, and that we do check.

For all the others — milk thistle, silymarin, artichoke, N-acetylcysteine, methionine, inositol, glutathione, S-adenosylmethionine — no health claim is authorised in Europe. The word "detox", moreover, has no regulatory definition: it means nothing in the eyes of the law, and we will not use it as a selling point. The liver needs no product in order to do its job.

Ingredients list

Milk thistle dry extract (Silybum marianum L., 80% silymarin), GELATINE, artichoke dry extract (Cynara scolymus L., 5% cynarin), artichoke powder, choline bitartrate, N-acetylcysteine, L-methionine, inositol, reduced glutathione, S-adenosylmethionine, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, colouring.

May contain traces of GLUTEN, EGG, MILK, FISH and SOYA.

How do you take LIV+PRO?

Serving: 2 capsules. Liquid: a large glass of water. Timing: in the morning, on an empty stomach. Frequency: one serving a day, never more. Duration: a 30-day course, repeatable after a one-week break.

Taking it on an empty stomach is the manufacturer's instruction, and it is unusual in this aisle — most plant extracts are taken with a meal. It is explained by the wish to avoid competition with the other components of a meal. If you feel any stomach discomfort in the first few days, take the two capsules with a light breakfast rather than abandoning the course.

Two capsules in a single morning serving: it is simple, and it is the reason this format holds up well over thirty days. One bottle equals one course, which spares you the arithmetic.

The manufacturer specifies a one-week break before any repeat course. This is not a product for permanent use, and that alternation is part of the instructions, not a token precaution.

One instruction from the manufacturer deserves highlighting: do not combine this product with another complex of the same type without medical advice. Formulas in this aisle often share the same plants, and stacking two milk thistle extracts adds nothing while unknowingly multiplying the doses.

It does, on the other hand, combine without overlap with an omega 3 or a magnesium. Simply check your multivitamins: vitamins B1, B2 and B6 are almost always in them.

Who is LIV+PRO for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed at a healthy adult who wants to run a one-month course built around a properly standardised milk thistle extract. That is the only use case we will describe, and it is deliberately modest.

The most important contraindication is also the most counter-intuitive: the manufacturer asks you to consult a healthcare professional in the event of liver disorders. In other words, this product is not intended for people who have a liver problem — the exact opposite of what its positioning might suggest. A liver condition, even a mild one, is a matter for a doctor and proper monitoring, never for a supplement bought on your own.

The manufacturer also advises against it for pregnant and breastfeeding women, asks that it be kept out of the reach of children, and that it not be combined with another product of the same type without medical advice. The dose of two capsules a day must not be exceeded.

The capsules are made of gelatine: this product is suitable for neither vegetarians nor vegans. It may contain traces of gluten, egg, milk, fish and soya.

What you should not expect from it: it is not a treatment, it repairs nothing, and it makes up for no excess. "Detox" means nothing in regulatory terms: the liver and the kidneys handle elimination on their own, and no supplement improves that work in a healthy person. If your question concerns alcohol consumption, an abnormal liver panel or a treatment you are currently on, it belongs with your doctor — and no capsule will replace the answer he or she gives you.

Twelve-active complex or single active?

This is the most useful trade-off when faced with this type of product, and it has no single answer.

A complex like this one has a real advantage: one serving, one bottle, one action a day. For someone who does not want to juggle four tubs, that is decisive, and the milk thistle in it is properly dosed. The flip side is that eight of its twelve lines are present in low quantities: you are paying for a list, not for twelve doses.

A single active makes the opposite choice. Our dedicated aisle offers N-acetylcysteine at doses in a completely different league from the 75 mg in this complex, and our vitamin B aisle offers properly dosed B complexes. Standardised turmeric and coenzyme Q10 answer in the same way, each on its own terms. It is more precise, more comparable from one brand to another, and often more economical if you are only after one molecule.

Our position across the counter: if you know what you are looking for, take the single active. If you simply want to run a one-month course around milk thistle without multiplying bottles, this complex does the job — provided you do not believe its twelve lines are worth twelve products.

Frequently asked questions

What does "standardised to 80% silymarin" mean?

That 80% of the extract consists of silymarin, the group of compounds characteristic of milk thistle seeds, and that this concentration is guaranteed from one batch to the next. It is the best indicator of a serious plant extract, and 280 mg at that standardisation is a substantial amount.

Why take it on an empty stomach?

That is the manufacturer's instruction, intended to avoid competition with the components of a meal. If you feel any stomach discomfort in the first few days, take the two capsules with a light breakfast: better to shift the serving than to interrupt the course.

Does this product protect the liver?

We will not write that, because no claim of that kind is authorised in Europe for its ingredients. The manufacturer in fact asks you to consult a healthcare professional in the event of liver disorders: this supplement is not intended to answer a liver problem.

Does the choline allow a claim?

Not here. Choline does have authorised claims, but they require 82.5 mg of choline per serving. The 75 mg listed refer to choline bitartrate, of which choline accounts for only around 41%: the threshold is therefore not met, and the claim does not apply.

Are these capsules suitable for vegetarians?

No. The shell is made of gelatine, of animal origin. This is a common limitation across this range, and there is no plant-based version of this product.

How long does one bottle last?

Exactly thirty days: 60 capsules, two per serving, one serving a day. The manufacturer then specifies a one-week break before any repeat course. One bottle therefore corresponds to one complete course.

Can it be combined with another liver complex?

Not without medical advice, and the manufacturer asks this explicitly. Products in this aisle often share the same plants: stacking two milk thistle extracts adds nothing and multiplies the doses without your realising it.

Where can you buy IO Genix LIV+PRO?

The 60-capsule bottle can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is a product in front of which we often correct a misconception: when a customer talks to us about a blood test, we point them towards their doctor rather than towards this bottle. The rest of the aisle can be browsed in our sports nutrition section.