Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major health issue around the world, affecting about 30% of people.
It happens when fat builds up in the liver without alcohol being the cause. This condition can lead to serious problems like liver damage, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
A new study from researchers at Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital offers some hope. Led by Huating Li, the team discovered that resistant starch—a type of starch that isn’t digested in the stomach and reaches the colon—can help reduce fat in the liver. This starch becomes food for good gut bacteria, improving overall gut health.
In the study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, 200 people with NAFLD were split into two groups for four months. One group was given resistant starch made from maize, while the other got a similar corn starch that didn’t have the resistant properties. Both groups took 20 grams of starch mixed with water before meals twice a day.
The results were impressive. People who took the resistant starch saw nearly a 40% drop in liver triglycerides, which are fats in the liver. They also had lower liver enzyme levels and fewer signs of inflammation—both markers that usually mean the liver is under stress.
What’s even more exciting is that these improvements happened even if people didn’t lose weight. This means resistant starch directly helped improve liver health, not just through weight loss.
Researchers also looked at changes in gut bacteria. They found that the group taking resistant starch had a healthier gut microbiome. In particular, levels of a type of bacteria called Bacteroides stercoris went down. This bacteria has been linked to fat metabolism in the liver, showing how gut health and liver health are connected.
This study points to resistant starch as a simple, affordable way to help people manage NAFLD. Unlike strict diets or intense exercise programs, adding resistant starch to meals could be an easier daily habit for many people.
Huating Li noted that it’s simple to include this kind of starch in your diet, making it a practical choice for those dealing with liver issues.
The findings also highlight how important gut health is for treating liver disease. By focusing on how gut bacteria work with the liver, doctors may be able to create new treatments that go beyond medication.
As more research is planned to better understand how resistant starch can treat NAFLD, this study offers a promising start. It shows that what we eat can play a powerful role in our health—especially in fighting fatty liver disease. Resistant starch could soon become a helpful tool in managing this common and serious condition.
If you care about liver health, please read studies about simple habit that could give you a healthy liver, and common diabetes drug that may reverse liver inflammation.
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.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
