For the first time, a complex team of researchers has highlighted the mechanism by which “fatty liver disease” – non-alcoholic fatty liver disease – can be at the origin of serious neuro-degenerative diseases, such as dementia, reports Futura Sante.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is characterized by the accumulation of fat in the liver, which can lead to inflammation and cirrhosis. For the first time, research conducted at INSERM, Poitier University, King’s College London and the University of Lausanne suggests that people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, caused by excess fat and sweets, may also have a increased risk of serious neurological disorders, such as dementia.
The research results were published in the Journal of Hepatology.
Also called “fatty liver disease,” nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is more common in obese and sedentary people. 80% of obese people are at increased risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
This new study establishes for the first time an association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and neurological problems in animal models, as well as identifies a potential therapy.
Different diets for mice
Researchers from INSERM, the University of Poitiers, the Robert Williams Institute of Hepatology at King’s College and the University of Lausanne have found that the accumulation of fat in the liver causes a decrease in oxygen to the brain and inflammation of the brain tissues – two phenomena associated with an increased risk of serious neurological diseases such as dementia.
During the study, the researchers used two different diets for the mice. Half benefited from a diet in which calorie intake did not exceed 10% from fat, while the other half had a calorie intake of 55% from fat (comparable to a diet consisting of processed foods and sugary drinks).
Finally, the researchers found that animals that had a high fat intake were obese and developed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and insulin resistance. Furthermore, the researchers involved in this study also observed brain dysfunctions in these animals, translated into behavioral disturbances.
According to the researchers, two hypotheses could explain this phenomenon: the disease would reduce the number and diameter of cerebral blood vessels and therefore less oxygen would reach the tissues. Specific cells could also consume more oxygen due to the inflammation found in the brain.
At the same time, these mice were more anxious and showed signs of depression.
It is very worrying to find that the accumulation of fat in the liver can have an effect on the brain, especially since initially this disease is often benign, silent for many years, without patients being aware of this suffering, said Anna Hadjihambi, head author of the King’s College London study.
