This Fat Treats Fatty Liver Disease

If you have been diagnosed with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), chances are high you’ve been told to consume less fat.

After all, a fatty liver contains too much fat. Makes sense, right?

Wrong! says a new study in EMBO Molecular Medicine. You need to consume more fat, but it must be a specific fat.

Researchers from Oregon State University carried out a review of the medical literature on NAFLD, finding that dietary omega-3 fatty acids could reduce the buildup of fat in the liver and subsequent scarring and destruction of this important organ.

They wanted to know how exactly omega-3 fat could do this. To find out, they conducted a multi-omic network analysis.

This is a comprehensive approach where scientists study how different biological components (like genes, proteins, and metabolites) interact with each other in a complex biological network like the human body. By looking at these interactions, researchers can get a more complete picture of how biological processes work, and, in this case, how diseases like NAFLD develop and progress.

Omega-3 fatty acids are fats that our bodies cannot make, but that are really important for many bodily functions like brain and heart health.

The team’s multi-omic network analysis revealed the main molecular factor responsible for the positive influence of omega-3 fatty acids on NAFLD. It is called betacellulin, a protein growth factor responsible for the conversion of fat in the liver to tissue scarring and the eventual destruction of liver tissue.

The researchers noticed that omega-3 could suppress betacellulin, and could thereby prevent the process that leads to permanent liver damage.

The form of omega-3 that worked the best was Docosahexaenoic acid or DHA. The best sources of DHA are salmon, mackerel, herring, and sardines, but it is also present in smaller amounts in oysters, shrimp, and anchovies.

In addition to fish, DHA for vegetarians and vegans is present in algae and algae oil, and in foods that are specifically fortified with it.

However, omega-3 is only one piece of the puzzle. If you want to completely reverse your NAFLD, you need to follow the example of thousands of readers and make the simple lifestyle changes explained here…