Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a serious condition that affects many people with type 2 diabetes. It can lead to other serious liver problems.
But right now, there are no drugs available to treat this disease. Scientists from Karolinska Institutet have found a potential drug that could be used to treat fatty liver disease.
The Fatty Liver Problem
Obesity and overweight have been causing problems worldwide for many years. They lead to many health problems, one of which is type 2 diabetes.
People who are overweight and have type 2 diabetes are at risk of developing NAFLD. This disease is the most common cause of chronic liver diseases, such as liver failure and liver cancer, in Europe and the U.S.
About 25 to 29 percent of people with type 2 diabetes have NAFLD. But, unfortunately, there are currently no approved drugs to treat it.
The Study and Its Findings
In their study, the scientists found a new way to stop fatty liver disease from developing. They used a drug candidate, an antibody, that blocks a protein called VEGF-B (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor B).
This protein controls the release of fatty acids from white adipose tissue, which is the body’s fat storage.
The researchers discovered that by keeping fatty acids in the adipose tissue, they don’t leak out and gather in the liver. This could be a way to treat fatty liver disease.
They found that blocking the VEGF-B signal in mice stopped fat from accumulating in the liver and reduced the risk of NAFLD.
The study was done on both regular and genetically modified mice. The mice were given different diets and treated with the drug candidate.
The scientists also studied body fat from 48 patients who were going to have bariatric surgery. Half of these patients had NAFLD and half did not.
Their results showed a clear link between the level of VEGF-B signaling in white adipose tissue and the presence of NAFLD.
What This Means for the Future
Fatty liver disease is linked to many serious and sometimes deadly diseases.
This new method developed by the scientists might be able to prevent fatty liver disease and hopefully lower the risk of liver failure and terminal liver cancer.
Conclusion
The researchers who conducted this study were led by Annelie Falkevall and their work was published in the Journal of Hepatology.
It’s an exciting discovery that could lead to new treatments for fatty liver disease. It also gives us more information about the important role of liver health.
If you’re interested in this topic, you might want to read more about how dairy foods are linked to liver cancer, and how coffee drinkers may reduce their risk of liver cancer.
You can also find more information about liver health in recent studies about a new therapy for fatty liver disease, and how the Mediterranean diet could reduce fatty liver disease by half.
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 liver health, please see recent studies that anti-inflammatory diet could help prevent fatty liver disease, and results showing vitamin D could help prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
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