Virtual Reality: New Insights Regarding the Prevalence of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Children and Adolescents with Obesity Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Often referred to as the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is closely linked to obesity.1 Lean subjects can have NAFLD2; however, the majority of patients with NAFLD are overweight or obese; however, not all overweight/obese patients have NAFLD.3 Although this observation is not entirely understood, it highlights the fact that obesity is not inextricably linked to the development of hepatic steatosis. Other factors, such as ethnicity and genetic predisposition (eg, PNPLA-3),3-5 body composition (eg, sarcopenia, subcutaneous adipose tissue function),6,7 feeding and dietary patterns (eg, fructose intake, eating at bedtime),8-10 and hormonal status (eg, insulin resistance, growth hormone deficiency),11 as well as environmental factors, including the composition of the microbiome,12 contribute to the host ’s response to overfeeding and collectively determine their risk of developing NAFLD.
Source: The Journal of Pediatrics - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Editorial Source Type: research