Fatty liver disease, a prevalent metabolic disease, can evolve into cirrhosis or even hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer) if left untreated.
New research from the University of Jyväskylä suggests that a common dietary supplement may provide a promising approach to treat this condition.
The Gut-Liver Connection
In their study, the researchers successfully mitigated fatty liver disease in rats. They fed rats suffering from fatty liver disease with a dietary supplement known to enhance the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut.
As the abundance of these good bacteria increased, the fat content in the rats’ livers significantly decreased. Encouragingly, preliminary results from human trials also appear promising.
The team was able to treat fatty liver in mice by administering Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, a gut microbe known for its anti-inflammatory properties.
However, these health-beneficial gut microbes aren’t readily available for human use in pharmacies.
Feeding the Beneficial Bacteria
Given the regulatory constraints, the scientists wanted to explore if they could naturally increase the abundance of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii in the gut using prebiotic fiber.
A prebiotic is a selectively fermented dietary component that, while indigestible in the gut, serves as food for beneficial gut microbes, such as lactobacilli, thereby conferring health benefits to the host.
The researchers found that Faecalibacterium prausnitzii could use a prebiotic known as Xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) as food, which boosted its growth.
Encouraged by these results, the researchers conducted a dietary intervention in rats with fatty liver disease. They fed these rats a diet supplemented with XOS for 12 weeks.
Promising Results and Future Prospects
“XOS increased the growth of the health-beneficial bacterium and, at the same time, significantly decreased the liver fat content of the rats,” says researcher Satu Pekkala, summarizing the main results.
The most significant factors contributing to reduced liver fat were improved liver fat and glucose metabolism.
This is the first study to demonstrate such effects for XOS. Although the study was performed in rats, the research team has already carried out XOS intervention in humans with fatty liver disease.
If you’re interested in fatty liver disease, consider reading studies about a significant cause of leaky gut and fatty liver disease, and how common soap additives can exacerbate fatty liver disease.
For more insights into liver health, check out recent studies about 8 things you need to know about liver disease hepatitis C, and research showing how a common diabetes drug could help reverse liver inflammation.
The study was conducted by Satu Pekkala and her team.
If you care about liver health, please read studies about dairy foods linked to liver cancer, and coffee drinkers may halve their risk of liver cancer.
For more information about liver health, please see recent studies about new therapy for fatty liver disease, and results showing Mediterranean diet could cut fatty liver disease by half.
The study was published in the journal Nutrients.
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