Researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have found a potential new treatment for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a condition that affects many people with type 2 diabetes and obesity.
NAFLD is now the most common form of chronic liver disease in Europe and the United States and can lead to life-threatening conditions like liver failure and liver cancer. Despite its growing impact, there are currently no approved drugs to treat it.
The study focused on an experimental drug in the form of an antibody that blocks a protein called VEGF-B (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor B).
This protein plays a key role in how fat is handled in the body, especially in white adipose tissue—the type of fat that stores energy. In people with obesity or diabetes, excess fat can leak out of this tissue and build up in the liver, leading to NAFLD.
The scientists discovered that blocking VEGF-B helps stop this process. By using the antibody to prevent the release of fatty acids from fat tissue, they were able to stop fat from building up in the liver. This approach could offer a new way to treat or even prevent fatty liver disease in people at risk.
To test the idea, the research team ran experiments on both normal and genetically modified mice. The mice were given different diets and treated with the VEGF-B antibody.
The results showed that the treatment protected the mice from developing fatty liver, even when they were fed high-fat diets. Their livers stayed healthier, and they were less likely to show signs of NAFLD.
In addition to the animal studies, the researchers also looked at fat tissue samples from 48 people scheduled for weight loss (bariatric) surgery. Half of the patients had NAFLD, and the other half did not. The analysis revealed that people with NAFLD had higher VEGF-B activity in their fat tissue, which supports the idea that this protein plays a role in the disease.
Fatty liver disease often develops silently and can go unnoticed for years. But once it progresses, it can lead to serious complications, including inflammation, liver scarring (fibrosis), liver failure, and cancer. Because of this, early treatment and prevention are critical.
The researchers believe that this new method—keeping fat stored safely in fat tissue—could be a breakthrough in preventing liver damage before it becomes severe. By targeting VEGF-B, they hope to stop the disease at its source.
This study, led by Annelie Falkevall and published in the Journal of Hepatology, offers hope for a future where fatty liver disease can be treated with medication. While more research and clinical trials in humans are still needed, the results so far are promising and suggest that an effective treatment may be on the horizon.
For those concerned about liver health, other research has also suggested that drinking coffee and eating a Mediterranean-style diet may help reduce the risk of liver disease.
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.
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