Researchers at the Université de Montréal have uncovered a significant link between diabetes and steatotic liver disease, commonly known as fatty liver disease.
This research, led by Professor Jennifer Estall and her team at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), sheds light on potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for these two metabolic diseases.
The study’s findings offer new insights into the connection between diabetes and liver disease and provide hope for early detection and intervention.
Steatotic liver disease, characterized by the accumulation of fat and scar tissue in the liver, affects a significant portion of the population. It often progresses silently, causing damage to the liver over time.
This condition can impair drug metabolism, toxin detoxification, and increase the risk of cancer.
Detecting liver damage in its early stages is challenging, as current biomarkers primarily identify advanced liver disease stages. Moreover, these biomarkers may show different patterns in men and women.
Uncovering Biomarkers
The research team, led by Aysim Gunes, a research associate in Professor Estall’s lab, made a groundbreaking discovery.
They found elevated levels of specific proteins, sIL-6R and sgp130, in the blood of individuals with steatotic liver disease, with even higher levels in those with diabetes.
These proteins are associated with controlling inflammation in the body. Importantly, the study identified sgp130 as a robust indicator of liver damage, making it a potential circulating biomarker for liver disease.
This research is not only significant for understanding the link between diabetes and liver disease but also for the potential early detection of liver damage.
The study suggests that high sugar and lipid levels, common in diabetes, stimulate different liver cells to produce these proteins, contributing to inflammation.
Therefore, the findings provide insight into why fatty liver disease is more prevalent in individuals with diabetes and how diabetes exacerbates metabolic liver disease.
A Promising Path Forward
The discovery of sgp130 as an efficient biomarker for early-stage liver damage offers a promising path for non-invasive tests to diagnose steatotic liver disease in its initial phases.
This early detection could enable timely interventions such as dietary adjustments, exercise, or medication when the condition is still reversible.
The research not only advances our understanding of these metabolic diseases but also paves the way for improved diagnosis and patient care.
This study involved a collaborative effort among researchers, clinicians, and patient partners from various research institutes, provinces (Quebec and Ontario), and countries (Canada, Turkey, Israel).
The wide-reaching collaboration underscores the importance of addressing metabolic diseases through multidisciplinary research and partnerships.
Conclusion
The discovery of a strong link between diabetes and fatty liver disease, along with the identification of potential biomarkers, marks a significant step forward in our ability to detect and manage these metabolic conditions.
Early detection of liver damage, facilitated by the sgp130 biomarker, offers hope for more effective interventions and improved patient outcomes.
This research emphasizes the importance of continued efforts to understand and address metabolic diseases and their complex interactions.
If you care about liver health, please read studies about a diet that can treat fatty liver disease and obesity, and coffee drinkers may halve their risk of liver cancer.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about simple blood test that could detect your risk of fatty liver disease, and results showing this green diet may strongly lower non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
The research findings can be found in Diabetes.
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