An estimated 20 per cent of people with NAFLD have non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), according to the study published in the journal Hepatology.
NASH can eventually progress to cirrhosis or liver cancer, especially in those with obesity or Type 2 diabetes. Patients with NAFLD are also at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, they said.
"Despite its increasing prevalence and burden to the health care system, there are currently no US Food and Drug Administration-approved therapies for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease," said Hugo Rosen, a professor at University of Southern California in the US.
"There's an urgent need to better understand the causes of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease progression so that successful therapeutics can be designed and brought into clinical practice," Rosen said.
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The study illuminates how a toxic combination of dietary fat and cholesterol impacts the behaviour of macrophages, a type of white blood cell, in the liver.
Using a mouse model, the study details the cascade of events in the immune system that eventually leads to the type of liver inflammation and scarring that is commonly seen in patients with NASH.
After feeding mice diets with varying levels of fat and cholesterol, the team found that the combination of both had a synergistically detrimental action on the genes regulating liver inflammation and scarring.
Oxidised low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, in particular, directly altered gene expression in both human and mouse macrophages associated with inflammation and scar formation.
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The group also identified a novel type of reparative macrophage that counteracts the inflammation.
"Not only does this study define how fat and cholesterol shape the progression of liver inflammation and scarring, but it also identifies potential pathways that can be targeted for future therapies. That could bring us closer to finding a treatment for a disease that impacts millions of lives around the world," Rosen said.
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Heartburn Troubles? Foods To Ease The Problem And Make Gut Feel Good
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Heartburn can strike anyone, but it usually happens to those who are obese and eat big and untimely meals.
From coffee to chocolate, everything you eat may make heartburn worse. But there are also foods that can ease your heartburn.
Here are some of them for you by Ayush Rekha:
Heartburn can strike anyone, but it usually happens to those who are obese and eat big and untimely meals.
From coffee to chocolate, everything you eat may make heartburn worse. But there are also f..
Read More
These two fruits have very low acid content. Hence, they are extremely effective in easing heartburn
These two fruits have very low acid content. Hence, they are extremely effective in easing heartburn
Green vegetables like leafy veggies, broccoli, green beans, celery and cauliflower are low in acid. This can also help in keeping you away from extreme acidity.
Green vegetables like leafy veggies, broccoli, green beans, celery and cauliflower are low in acid. This can also help in keeping you away from extreme acidity.
Fibre content and healthy complex carbs in rice are great to reduce heartburn.
Fibre content and healthy complex carbs in rice are great to reduce heartburn.
The egg whites are a good source of protein. They low acidic quality makes them a good options against heartburns.
The egg whites are a good source of protein. They low acidic quality makes them a good options against heartburns.
This calcium-rich food can soothe heartburn and improve digestion.
This calcium-rich food can soothe heartburn and improve digestion.
All root vegetables, except onion, are good for heartburn.
All root vegetables, except onion, are good for heartburn.
Consuming raw milk during heartburn gives instant relief. It also helps in stomach inflammation.
Consuming raw milk during heartburn gives instant relief. It also helps in stomach inflammation.
Apples contain phenolic phytochemicals that can calm heartburn.
Apples contain phenolic phytochemicals that can calm heartburn.
