Scientists have revealed in a new study that harmful bacteria could be a previously unknown cause of fatty liver disease.
It is commonly observed that excessive alcohol intake is the major cause of liver disease, but experts say anything that can increase fat in and on the liver could be driving the escalation in cases of fatal liver cancer.
Death tolls have been continuously rising with figures having quadrupled in the past 50 years.
Canadian researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery of a way of controlling blood sugar levels and mitigating liver damage, especially in obese patients.
The study was published in the journal Cell Metabolism and revealed that scientists were able to identify and isolate a molecule produced by gut bacteria that parks the liver to make sugar and fat.
Professor Jonathan Schetzer at McMaster University was of the view that this is a completely new way to think about treating metabolic diseases like fatty liver disease.
Further he explained that we have known for nearly a century that muscles and the liver exchange lactate, and we discovered a new branch of the cycle where gut bacteria were also involved.
The most common form of liver disease, which affects around 1 in 5 in the UK, is metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
This particular condition is caused by excessive fat that triggers inflammation.
It can cause liver failure or even cancer if left untreated and it can also cause a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
There has been a significant increase in liver disease in the UK, and the prime concern is that symptoms are often unnoticeable until the condition is advanced.
There has been a strong sense of urgency to tackle the UK’s rising obesity rate to mitigate pressures on the National Health Service.
The recent data suggests that nearly two-thirds of adults in England are obese, with 260,000 people joining that category last year.
Weight loss jabs are increasingly becoming popular in the UK, with an estimated 1.5 million people now using them through the NHS or private clinics, while millions are eligible for these treatments.