The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), one of the
most common liver diseases, is rapidly increasing worldwide, parallel to the global
obesity epidemic. NAFLD can progress to steatohepatitis, which is a more severe form
of liver disease characterized by hepatocyte injury, inflammation, and fibrosis. NAFLD
is closely related to metabolic syndrome (MetS)/insulin resistance, and these
relationships are the subject of active research. Other than in MetS, visceral adiposity
and pro-inflammatory state are also key in the development of NAFLD. In addition to
human genetic variants linked to NAFLD risk to date are genes involved in the
regulation of lipid metabolism, providing support for the hypothesis that NAFLD is
fundamentally a metabolic disease.
Keywords: Insulin resistance, Metabolic syndrome, Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
