People who have liver disease, hepatitis, or viral inflammation do well on milk thistle. But if your liver function is normal, then it is just "extra". Take it or leave it.

The dawn phenomenon is when you dip low during the night fast, and the liver then responds (as it should) to make more glucose from glycogen or amino acids from protein you ate.

It is normal really. The dawn phenom. is more pronounced in people using insulin, or who eat alot of carbs at dinner. I keep a Zone bar handy at night, if I wake up at 4am starving. I have one then. I personally think all people as they age, lose flexibility with insulin...and I think some of the extreme interventions for every little detail, are over kill...but that is my opinion. Older people are not going to have the blood sugars and fasting ability of youngsters. Why expect them too? I am not talking about "extremes" but I think medicine is too strict and daily comfort (and money) are sacrificed to hold to arbitrary numbers. The strict arm of the ACCORD study proved that one! Holding diabetics to a too low A1C killed them!