The good news about Fatty Liver DiseaseNon Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is often discussed in terms of progression to cirrhosis.

But new research suggests that in older adults, its meaning may be very different.

A study of more than 1,000 participants in the Whitehall II cohort (average age 72) used liver scans to measure fat accumulation and stiffness.

One in three older adults had fatty liver disease, yet only 2.4% showed signs of significant scarring (fibrosis).

Instead, fatty liver was strongly linked with other health issues.

Older adults with liver fat were more likely to have multiple chronic conditions, poor motor function, difficulty with daily activities, and low physical activity.

The odds of disability were more than tripled.

Frailty was also more common when higher thresholds of liver fat were applied.

Obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and low HDL cholesterol were the strongest individual risk factors.

Alcohol consumption was not a major driver in this group, possibly reflecting low average intake and survivorship bias.

The findings highlight that in later life, fatty liver may serve less as a warning of cirrhosis and more as a marker of aging and multimorbidity.

The good news is that you can follow the footsteps of thousands of readers, who completely reversed their fatty liver disease and restored health. They made a few simple diet and lifestyle changes, explained here…