Scientists find way to prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

LONDON: Studying mice, scientists have found a way to prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. 

Blocking a path that delivers dietary fructose to the liver prevented mice from developing the condition. 

Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine showed that a molecule called GLUT8 carries large amounts of fructose into liver cells. Fructose is a type of sugar found in many foods. 

Scientists have known that fructose is processed in the liver and stored there as fat in the form of triglycerides. 

In this study, researchers showed that blocking or eliminating GLUT8 in mice reduced the amount of fructose entering the organ and appeared to prevent the development of fatty livers. Mice with GLUT8 deficiency also appeared to burn liver fat at a faster rate than control mice. 

In people, non alcoholic fatty liver disease often accompanies obesity, elevated blood sugar, high blood pressure and other markers of metabolic syndrome.

Some estimate as many as 1 billion people worldwide have fatty liver disease, though some may not realize it. 

The Indian Council of Medical Research estimates that between 9% and 32% of the population suffer from NAFLD. 

Pediatricians, however, say almost 17%-40% of obese children in India -- in the 8-20 years age group - are now being diagnosed with fatty liver. 

Experts say, fatty liver among children is a result of their faulty lifestyle such as excessive consumption of junk food and less physical exercise. For instance, more and more children prefer to stay indoors and watch TV, thanks to lack of playgrounds. The disease is more common among boys than girls. 

Brian J DeBosch said, "We showed that GLUT8 is required for fructose to get into the liver. If you take away or block this transporter in mice, they no longer get diet-induced fatty liver disease". 

The researchers also saw differences between male and female mice in the degree to which they were protected from fatty livers and in whole-body metabolism. Male mice fed a high-fructose diet while deficient in GLUT8 still had evidence of fatty liver disease, but whole-body metabolism was healthy. They showed no evidence of metabolic syndrome in the rest of the body. Females fed fructose while lacking GLUT8, in contrast, had healthy looking livers but exhibited more evidence of whole-body metabolic syndrome. 

"If the fructose doesn't go into the liver, it may go to peripheral tissues," DeBosch said. "Female mice with a GLUT8 deficiency had increased body fat. They also had increased circulating triglycerides and cholesterol.

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