NAFLD as an Age-Related Condition

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an excess of lipids in the liver, disruptive of liver function. In our modern society of cheap calories and machineries of comfort the most common way to achieve an excess of lipids in the liver is obesity. That perhaps obscures the point that aspects of aging, such as growing mitochondrial dysfunction, change liver metabolism, and metabolism in general, to increase the risk of suffering NAFLD at a given weight in later life. We might not tend to think of NAFLD as an age-related condition per se, but it is certainly influenced by aging. Due to the decline in the regenerative ability of the liver and dysfunctions in the immune response, older people are more likely to suffer from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), acute and chronic liver injury, liver fibrosis, and other diseases. Studies have reported that the prevalence of NAFLD increases in the elderly, with a prevalence of less than 30% in people under 40 years of age and more than 50% in people over 60 years of age. Currently, it is believed that the mechanism of development of NAFLD includes increased production of fat, increased dietary free fatty acid (FFA) levels, β-oxidative damage, and dysfunction in very low density lipoprotein synthesis. However, reduced activity and changes in diet structure lead to a continuous increase in body fat in the elderly. These factors lead to the accumulation of triglycerides (TGs) in the liver and eventually cause a...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs