Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the build-up of fat in the liver due to factors other than alcohol, but its cause remains unknown. Now, researchers have linked NAFLD to gut bacteria that produce a large amount of alcohol in the body, finding these bacteria in over 60% of NAFLD patients. Their findings, publishing Sept. 19 in the journal Cell Metabolism, could help develop a screening method for early diagnosis and treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver.
Source: Alcohol-producing gut bacteria could cause liver damage even in people who don’t drink