Approved Research

Longitudinal study of the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Diet - intestinal microbiota - adipose tissue - liver interactions. Biomarkers and mechanisms.

Lay summary

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent liver disease in human history, with prevalence estimates indicating that it affects 25% of the world population. However, it is largely unknown to the general public. Patients with NAFLD often have few or no symptoms, especially in the early stages of the disease. These first stages of the disease are reversible and therefore early detection is essential for preventing later severe complications. The interaction between diet, fat tissue, gut microbiota, and metabolism is at the crossroads of disease initiation and progression. Our groups detected several potential metabolic patterns associated with NAFLD in the early and late stages using both small human cohorts and animal models. The aim of this study is to validate them in a large amount of well-phenotyped individuals to translate them into clinically useful tools.