Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist
Researchers have found that fatty acids can damage the liver, leading to a problem called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Many obese adults and children have a condition called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), first identified by doctors at the Mayo Clinic in 1980. In most people, NAFLD does not lead to any serious problems but in 10 per cent of cases, damage can progress and lead to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Both conditions are strongly linked to diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Such liver problems are becoming increasingly popular among obese children.
Mayo Clinic workers have now found that free fatty acids, released when fat storage capacity is overwhelmed, damage the liver and lead to NAFLD. They looked at the livers of both normal and obese mice, as well as liver samples from obese and lean patients. If the fatty acid attack on the liver could be blocked, then this could form the basis of a drug treatment for NAFLD. Meanwhile, losing weight and taking more exercise will also help to keep the liver free from NAFLD.
Source
Hepatology online 14th June 2004