Abstract
AbstractImbalance between fat production and consumption causes various metabolic disorders. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), one such pathology, is characterized by abnormally increased fat synthesis and subsequent fat accumulation in hepatocytes1,2. While often comorbid with obesity and insulin resistance, this disease can also be found in lean individuals, suggesting specific metabolic dysfunction2. NAFLD has become one of the most prevalent liver diseases in adults worldwide, but its incidence in both children and adolescents has also markedly increased in developed nations3,4. Progression of this disease into nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis, liver failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma in combination with its widespread incidence thus makes NAFLD and its related pathologies a significant public health concern. Here, we review our understanding of the roles of dietary carbohydrates (glucose, fructose, and fibers) and the gut microbiota, which provides essential carbon sources for hepatic fat synthesis during the development of NAFLD.
Funder
American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
Edward Mallinckrodt, Jr. Foundation
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Clinical Biochemistry,Molecular Biology,Molecular Medicine,Biochemistry
Reference190 articles.
1. Kawano, Y. & Cohen, D. E. Mechanisms of hepatic triglyceride accumulation in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. J. Gastroenterol. 48, 434–441 (2013).
2. Young, S. et al. Prevalence and profile of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in lean adults: systematic review and meta-analysis. Hepatol. Commun. 4, 953–972 (2020).
3. Zhou, J. et al. Epidemiological features of NAFLD from 1999 to 2018 in China. Hepatology 71, 1851–1864 (2020).
4. Ogden, C. L., Flegal, K. M., Carroll, M. D. & Johnson, C. L. Prevalence and trends in overweight among US children and adolescents, 1999–2000. JAMA 288, 1728–1732 (2002).
5. Tso, P., Pitts, V. & Granger, D. N. Role of lymph flow in intestinal chylomicron transport. Am. J. Physiol. 249, G21–G28. (1985).