Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and the Gut Microbiota: Exploring the Connection
As the gut microbiota continues to be implicated in an increasing number of disease
processes, a plethora of new literature surrounding its complexity and role in the maintenance
of intestinal homeostasis has become available. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
has become the most common nonviral liver disease worldwide and a number of predisposing
risk factors for NAFLD have been identified, including obesity and insulin resistance. Recent
evidence supports a role for the gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of these risk factors and
NAFLD, itself. Additionally, changes in the gut microbiota can lead to activation of immune
responses that have the potential to promote progression of NAFLD to the more severe Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Furthermore, the gut microbiota may serve as a potential
target for therapeutic options to treat NAFLD. This review seeks to explain the role of the gut
microbiota in the pathogenesis of NAFLD and its risk factors, while also discussing potential
future treatment options directed at correcting imbalances with in the gut microbiota.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a spectrum of liver disease defined as
the presence of lipids in >5% of hepatocytes or a lipid content >5% of liver weight in the absence of significant alcohol intake (>20 g of alcohol/day), hepatic viral infections or the use
of potentially hepatotoxic medications.1,2 Worldwide NAFLD has become the most common
nonviral liver disease, affecting over one billion individuals with an estimated prevalence of
6-30% in the general population, in part due to the increasing incidence of obesity and as well
due to related other metabolic risk factors.
Gastro Open J. 2015; 1(2): 30-43. doi: 10.17140/GOJ-1-107
