Our study on the Karlovy Vary drinking cure has been published in an international scientific journal

We have published the results of a pilot study examining the effectiveness of the traditional Karlovy Vary drinking cure in the treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). The study was published in January 2026 in the peer-reviewed international journal Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition.

The study took place from February to May 2024. It involved 46 residents of Karlovy Vary diagnosed with fatty liver disease, who underwent a drinking cure three times daily for 21 days – 200–300 ml of mineral water from the Karlovy Vary springs, 45 minutes before meals. The degree of liver steatosis was measured using a FibroScan device before and after the cure.

The results showed a statistically significant reduction in the CAP value (an indicator of the degree of liver steatosis) of approximately 30 dB/m on average, and a decrease in body weight of 1.3 kg. The authors of the study also point out that this is a pilot study without a control group, and the results therefore cannot be interpreted as direct evidence of a causal relationship. Nevertheless, the study provides a basis for follow-up clinical research, which we are currently preparing at ILaB.

Study details:
Huseynli, A., Marek, P. & Špišák, L. Pilot study on the effectiveness of the traditional Karlovy Vary thermal spring drinking cure in the treatment of metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). J Health Popul Nutr 45, 65 (2026). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s41043-026-01241-w