Millions in west do not know they have aggressive fatty liver disease, study says

www.theguardian.com

Research finds more than 15m in US, UK, Germany and France with MASH have not been diagnosed

More than 15 million people in the US, UK, Germany and France do not know they have the most aggressive form of fatty liver disease, according to research.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) – the formal name for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease – occurs in people who drink no or minimal amounts of alcohol whose liver contains more than 5% fat.

About two-thirds of patients with type 2 diabetes are thought to have the condition, which is also associated with obesity, heart and circulatory disease.

Approximately 5% of adults globally have the most aggressive form of MASLD. Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) causes fibrosis (scarring) and can lead to cirrhosis and is linked to greater risk of cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and liver cancer.

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2d ago

Millions in west don't know they have aggressive fatty liver disease, study says

www.theguardian.com /society/2025/jun/05/millions-in-west-do-not-know-they-have-aggressive-fatty-liver-disease-study-says

8 comments

The most common cause of NAFLD is persistent fructose consumption. I.e. sugar
The most effective way to treat/reverse it is to eat a carbohydrate free diet
- Purely anecdotal on my part, but I reversed mine 25 years ago through a low-glycemic, minimally processed diet. Not low carb, but certainly carbohydrate selective. Lost at least 115 lbs and have been fortunate to keep it off.
  
  Tell us more!
  I suspect fatty liver disease and it does not hurt to eat a bit better
- Why does it need to be carbohydrate free diet? Would not just excluding fructose and carbohydrates containing fructose be equally effective?
  
  It would be effective but not as effective.
  Once there's fat in the wrong places, ectopic fat, the body does not like fat inside of organs. You want the body to mobilize that fat as soon as possible. So you remove all carbohydrates to help the body stay in a fat burning metabolism. That way the body will remove the organ fat as quickly as possible.
  If you're still eating a carbohydrate-rich diet, but no fructose, you're not continuing the most significant risk factor that's true, but the body has elevated insulin when you eat carbohydrates, and cannot mobilize fat until all of that insulin is back to normal. For most people they're eating three big meals a day and a bunch of snacks, which means they're insulin is always up. Which means it's very hard to remove that fat from the organs
  So, removing all the carbohydrates, gets the insulin back to normal, allowing the body to mobilize fat, and the The body does prioritize removing ectopic fat from the organs when it can
- I would argue that the most effective way to reverse it is to fast. The best way to maintain and treat while not fasting would be a diet low in carbohydrates.

8 comments