treatment for fatty liver disease 'closer than ever'

a treatment for non-2022年世界杯预选赛阿根廷 liver disease (nafld) may finally be on the way thanks to the development of a new drug that has proven successful in animal testing.

according to the study, published in the journal cell metabolism , an amino acid compound known as dt-109 was effective at treating a severe form of nafld known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, or nash. the drug, which successfully reversed the buildup of fat and scarring on the livers of mice and non-human primates with the disease, offers much-needed hope for human patients with few other options.

“for years, scientists have been trying to develop a medication that treats nash but many attempts have failed to show an improvement or have raised safety concerns in clinical trials,” said eugene chen , senior author of the study and frederick g. l. huetwell professor of cardiovascular medicine at university of michigan medical school. “nash is rising at a staggering rate, and successful treatment of non-human primates with our drug candidate, dt-109, brings us closer than ever to treating the millions of people suffering from this condition.”

according to the canadian liver foundation, non-2022年世界杯预选赛阿根廷 liver disease (nafld) typically occurs in people who consume more fat or sugar than their bodies can handle. once fat builds up to more than five per cent of the liver, that liver is considered fatty. although the condition, which affects around one in five canadians, may not cause immediate concerns, it can make the liver vulnerable to other issues, such as inflammation or fibrosis (scarring of the liver).

nash, which affects around 1.5 million canadians, is a more serious form of nafld . one in five adults with nash go on to develop cirrhosis, or a severe scarring of the liver. nash is now one of the primary causes of liver cancer in the world and one of the main reasons people end up needing a liver transplant. although exercise, diet and other interventions can improve the prognosis of patients with nafld, the liver damage caused by nash is much more permanent and harder to reverse.

dave yasvinski is a writer with  healthing.ca

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treatment for fatty liver disease 'closer than ever'

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