Human Fatty Liver Disease: Old Questions and New Insights

Human Fatty Liver Disease: Old Questions and New Insights

Liver disease is a disease many Americans encounter each year. Liver disease is anything that disturbs the liver and conflict with how the liver functions in the body. The Liver is an import organ in the body. The liver is responsible for several different functions in the body. The article covers an abundance amount of information about old questions dealing with Liver Disease; however it covers new information that may be beneficial.

The article asks the question what is the relationship between obesity, insulin resistance, and Hepatic Steatosis. Hepatic Steatosis is a fatty liver consisting of large amounts of fat and Triglycerides inside the Liver cell. After reading the article we were able to a strong correlation between insulin resistances resulting in lower insulin levels will decrease the liver fat content. The article talks about TG being a marker for another molecule that may interfere with insulin action such as diacyl-glycerol. In mice it shows that these lipids contribute to insulin resistance. In humans if the TG content is increased they are at higher risk in getting Fatty Liver Disease. Individuals with inactive mutations in APOC3 have been associated with high levels TG but they can still maintain a normal insulin level. The article also talks about patients with an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutation in either ATGL or CGI58. These individuals are at high risk of fatty liver disease. In the next paragraph we will discuss genetic risk factors for Fatty Liver Disease or Hepatic Steatosis.

The journal explains that gender plays a significant role in contracting Liver Disease. According to this journal men prior to the age of sixty are more likely to develop Liver Disease. However, in older ages women are more likely to develop Liver Disease. The reasoning for this is known. Ethnicity also plays a role in Liver Disease; the highest ethnicity group is 45% Hispanics. African Americans account for 24% of the Liver Disease population. It is not clear why African Americans are not at high risk of Liver Disease. It was thought that African Americans have a high fat diet. A high fat diet should increase the likelihood in the African American community.

In conclusion, this article was very insightful. The founding's were shocking with who is acceptable to Liver Disease. We thought African Americans would be at a higher risk to develop Hepatic Steatosis. The article did not go into detail about the correlation between ethnicity and Liver Disease. The article was informative about metabolism of TG in the liver. The diagram of the liver was a great reference point through reading the article. After reading this article, having a healthy diet will be at the top of my list. Knowledge of the risk factors will help us to take better care of our bodies. Liver Disease can be avoided with