The summaries are free for public
use. The Chronic Liver Disease
Foundation will continue to add and
archive summaries of articles deemed
relevant to CLDF by the Board of
Trustees and its Advisors.
Abstract Details
NAFLD and the Gut-Liver Axis: Exploring an Undernutrition Perspective
Gastroenterology. 2022 Mar 3;S0016-5085(22)00203-7.doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2022.01.058. Online ahead of print.
Kylynda C Bauer1, Paula T Littlejohn2, Victoria Ayala3, Anna Creus-Cuadros4, B Brett Finlay5
Author information
Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Thoracic and Gastrointestinal Malignancies Branch, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Center for Cancer Research, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Institut de Recerca Biomèdica de Lleida (IRB-Lleida), Lleida, Spain; Department of Experimental Medicine, Universitat de Lleida, Lleida, Spain.
Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Electronic address: bfinlay@msl.ubc.ca.
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic condition affecting one quarter of the global population. Although primarily linked to obesity and metabolic syndrome, undernutrition and the altered (dysbiotic) gut microbiome influence NAFLD progression. Both undernutrition and NAFLD prevalence are predicted to considerably rise, but how the undernourished gut microbiome contributes to hepatic pathophysiology remains far less studied. Here, we present undernutrition conditions with fatty liver features, including kwashiorkor and micronutrient deficiency (MND). We then review the gut microbiota-liver axis, highlighting key pathways linked to NAFLD progression within both overnutrition and undernutrition. To conclude, we identify challenges and collaborative possibilities of emerging multiomic research addressing the pathology and treatment of undernourished NAFLD.