Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Diabetes: An Epidemiological Perspective

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is thought to stem from the body's inability to store excess energy in adipocytes; as such, it is commonly viewed as the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome. The pathogenesis of NAFLD involves ectopic fat accumulation, which also takes place in the liver, muscle and visceral fat. NAFLD is rapidly becoming more widespread in Korea, with an estimated prevalence of 30% in adults. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and NAFLD share insulin resistance as a common pathophysiological mechanism, and each of these two diseases affects the development of the other. Recent studies have suggested that NAFLD is often present as a comorbidity in T2DM patients. The mutual interrelationship between these conditions is shown by findings suggesting that T2DM can exacerbate NAFLD by promoting progression to nonalcoholic hepatosteatosis or fibrosis, while NAFLD causes the natural course of diabetic complications to worsen in T2DM patients. It remains unknown whether one disease is the cause of the other or vice versa. In this review, I would like to discuss current epidemiological data on the associations between NAFLD and T2DM, and how each disease affects the course of the other.

Sarcopoterium spinosum Inhibited the Development of Non-Alcoholic Steatosis and Steatohepatitis in Mice

“…Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an extremely common condition, affecting approximately 20% of adults in Western countries, with the highest prevalence of almost 75% affected subjects in the obese, diabetic population [1,2]. Based on this alarming statistic, NAFLD is considered as the leading cause of liver diseases [3].…”

The Absence of NLRP3-inflammasome Modulates Hepatic Fibrosis Progression, Lipid Metabolism, and Inflammation in KO NLRP3 Mice during Aging

“…In this way, lipid accumulation and lipotoxicity, oxidative stress, and inflammation usually play an important role in that progression associated with aging. Liver is responsible for maintaining a metabolic homeostasis in the organism; therefore, an imbalance of the organism due to aging could lead to obesity disorders, such as steatosis, NAFLD, and diabetes [ 12 ]. On the other hand, the NLRP3 inflammasome complex, regulator of caspase-1 activation, and maturation of IL1β can be activated by different mediators, including such metabolic alteration [ 13 ].…”

“…For all experiments, male mice were used. Young (3 months) and old (20 months) NLRP3−/− (KO) transgenic mice (C57BL/6J background, provided by Bernhard Ryffel and originally generated and characterized in the laboratory of J. Tschopp, [ 12 ]) and WT/NLRP3+/+ littermate controls, ( n = 8) weighing 25–30 g were maintained on a regular 12 h light/dark cycle. All groups had ad libitum access to the prescribed diet (13 kcal% fat, 20 kcal% protein, and 67 kcal% carbohydrate, 11.8 kJ/g, Teklad Rodent Maintenance diet 2014S, Harlan Laboratories, Indianapolis, IN, USA) and water throughout the whole study.…”

Beneficial effect of anti-diabetic drugs for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

“…with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and this combination results in the undesirable consequence of cardiovascular (CV) events, which underscores the need for lifestyle modification in the management of NAFLD regardless of diabetes. 3,4 NAFLD is the one of the most common liver disorders, affecting approximately 20-40% of the population worldwide, with different burdens according to age, sex, ethnicity, and diagnostic tools. 5,6 The presence of diabetes is closely associated with the severity of NAFLD, progression to NASH, advanced fibrosis, cirrhosis, and even HCC, [7][8][9] independently of liver enzymes.…”