Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a growing health concern worldwide, especially among people with type 2 diabetes and those who are overweight. Despite how common and serious this condition is, there are currently no approved medications to treat it.
But new research from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden offers hope. Scientists there have identified a drug candidate that may help prevent or even treat fatty liver disease by targeting a specific protein in the body.
NAFLD happens when too much fat builds up in the liver in people who drink little or no alcohol. It’s a common side effect of obesity and type 2 diabetes, and it can lead to much more serious conditions like liver failure, liver cancer, or the need for a liver transplant.
In people with type 2 diabetes, around 25% to 29% also develop NAFLD. This makes finding an effective treatment more important than ever.
In the new study, researchers focused on a protein called VEGF-B, or Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor B. This protein plays a role in how fatty acids are released from white fat tissue in the body.
The scientists used an antibody—a type of drug designed to block a specific protein—to stop VEGF-B from sending signals that cause fat to leave fat tissue and travel to other organs like the liver.
The team tested the antibody drug on mice, both normal and genetically modified, that were fed different types of diets. The results were promising: blocking VEGF-B helped prevent fat from building up in the liver. This suggests that the drug might help stop or slow the development of fatty liver disease.
To see if their findings applied to humans, the researchers also looked at fat tissue samples from 48 patients who were undergoing weight-loss surgery. Half of these patients had NAFLD, and half did not.
The scientists found a clear link between higher VEGF-B activity in fat tissue and the presence of fatty liver disease. This suggests that VEGF-B might be a useful target for treatment in humans, not just in mice.
The discovery is especially important because NAFLD is not just a harmless fat buildup. Over time, it can lead to inflammation, scarring of the liver (known as fibrosis), liver failure, and cancer. By keeping fatty acids in the fat tissue—where they belong—the new drug approach may help protect the liver from these serious outcomes.
While the research is still in early stages and more studies are needed to confirm its safety and effectiveness in people, the findings offer a potential new way to fight a disease that currently has no direct treatment. The hope is that this drug could one day help reduce the risk of liver failure and even liver cancer in people at high risk.
The study was led by Annelie Falkevall and published in the Journal of Hepatology. It adds to a growing body of research aimed at improving liver health and preventing chronic liver disease through innovative treatments.
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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