Intraabdominal depth and suprailiac adipose tissue measured by ultrasound are useful predictors for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in overweight children and adolescents

OBJECTIVE: To review the literature on the importance of antioxidant vitamins, analyzed in the context of dietary intake, its plasma levels, and its current use as a supplementation treatment in obese children and adolescents with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. DATA SOURCES: The articles were identified in Lilacs, Ibecs, SciELO, PubMed/Medline, and Scopus databases. To conduct the survey, the "fatty liver" descriptor was associated to the following words: "children", "antioxidants" and "vitamins". The search was limited to articles written in Portuguese, Spanish and English, with publication date until December, 2012. DATA SYNTHESIS: Six studies were selected. The survey revealed a low dietary intake and low antioxidant vitamins serum levels in this population. The changes in lifestyle, with adequate dietary intake of vitamins, and the increase in physical activity were associated with a significant improvement in liver histology and in laboratory tests. Vitamin supplementation also improved the disease progression markers, as the alanine aminotransferase serum levels and the histological characteristics of lobular inflammation and hepatocellular damage. However, these improvements were not statistically significant in all studies. CONCLUSIONS: There is insufficient evidence to recommend or to refute antioxidant supplementation in patients with simple steatosis or steatohepatitis. The changes in lifestyle seem to be, at the present time, the more advisable therapy.

Download Full-text

Macrophages as Key Players during Adipose Tissue–Liver Crosstalk in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Seminars in Liver Disease ◽

10.1055/s-0039-1687851 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 39 (03) ◽

pp. 291-300 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Hannelie Korf ◽

Markus Boesch ◽

Lore Meelberghs ◽

Schalk van der Merwe

Keyword(s):

Adipose Tissue ◽

Liver Disease ◽

Fatty Liver ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Disease Progression ◽

Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Metabolic Profile ◽

Cell Activation ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver

AbstractNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in Western countries that could lead to serious health problems including liver failure, cancer, or death. The term NAFLD includes a spectrum of disease states with histological features ranging from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). A key aspect within this research field is the identification of pathogenic factors that trigger inflammation, thus fueling the transition from nonalcoholic fatty liver to NASH. These inflammatory triggers may originate from within the liver as a result of innate immune cell activation and/or hepatocyte injury. Additionally, they may originate from other sites such as adipose tissue or the intestinal tract. In the current review, the authors will primarily focus on events within adipose tissue which may be of importance in triggering the disease progression. They specifically focus on the role of adipose tissue macrophages during NAFLD pathogenesis and how microenvironmental factors may shape their metabolic profile. They further dissect how redirecting the macrophage's metabolic profile alters their immunological functions. Finally, they discuss the opportunities and challenges of targeting macrophages to interfere in disease progression.

Download Full-text