A new study has made an exciting discovery that could lead to better treatments for fatty liver disease.
Researchers found that a hormone called FGF21 can reverse liver damage in mice, even when they continue eating a high-fat diet. The study was led by Dr. Matthew Potthoff from the University of Oklahoma and published in the journal Cell Metabolism.
Fatty liver disease, now officially called MASLD (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease), happens when too much fat builds up in the liver.
If not treated, it can get worse and turn into MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis). This more serious condition includes inflammation and scarring of the liver, which can lead to cirrhosis and other severe problems.
Currently, only one drug has been approved by the U.S. FDA to treat MASH. Since MASLD affects around 40% of people globally, finding new treatments is very important. That’s what makes the discovery about FGF21 so promising.
FGF21 is a hormone made by the liver. In this new research, scientists found that FGF21 can send helpful signals to the brain, which then protects the liver. In mice, the hormone helped reduce fat in the liver and even reversed fibrosis, which is scarring that builds up over time. What’s amazing is that these results happened even though the mice kept eating fatty foods.
Dr. Potthoff explained that FGF21 works in two key ways. First, it tells the brain what’s going on in the body. The brain then changes nerve signals to help the liver stay healthier.
Second, FGF21 also sends a direct message to the liver, which helps it lower cholesterol. Both of these signals are helpful, but the researchers believe the signal to the brain is the most powerful part of the process.
“It’s a feedback loop,” said Dr. Potthoff. “The hormone tells the brain what’s happening in the body, and then the brain responds in a way that helps the liver. This brain-liver connection is key.”
FGF21 works in a similar way to a group of popular medications known as GLP-1 drugs, like Ozempic, which are used to treat diabetes and help with weight loss. Both types of hormones are made in different organs—FGF21 in the liver and GLP-1 in the intestine—but both act through the brain to help regulate the body’s metabolism.
The most exciting part of the study is that FGF21 didn’t just stop liver disease from getting worse—it actually helped reverse the damage. This kind of result is rare and very important because fibrosis is the most harmful part of liver disease.
Because FGF21 has shown such strong effects in animals, researchers hope that it can also help humans. Several FGF21-based drugs are already in late-stage clinical trials. If they prove to be safe and effective, people with fatty liver disease might soon have access to a powerful new treatment.
This discovery also supports the idea that treating metabolic diseases through the brain could be the future of medicine. It shows that it might be possible to treat conditions like liver disease without major changes to diet or lifestyle.
As scientists continue their work, this hormone could offer new hope to millions of people who are living with 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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