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Science for Sapiens A year in research (2024)

hile a poor diet, such as pro-
cessed products, promotes
non-alcoholic hepatic steato-
sis, a healthy diet prevents fat
retention in the liver. A team
of researchers from Spain,
Israel and Italy have publi-
W shed in the British Medical
Journal a recommendation based on scientific evidence
that insists on giving more social importance to this disea-
se, which affects more than 30% of the population and is
linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome,
dyslipidaemia and hypertension. Professor of Physiology
at the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) Ber-
nat Soria, co-author of the study, voluntarily underwent a
liver biopsy to show that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
is reversible if you have healthy eating habits and physical
activity.

The non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) involves
a buildup of fat in liver cells in individuals who take little
or no alcohol. It has become a constantly growing Public
Health problem, closely related to Obesity, type 2 Diabetes
and Metabolic Syndrom. According to the study published
in the British Medical Journal, more than 30% of the world’s
adult population suffers from fatty liver, with an estimated
annual growth of 0.7%. This disease, which can progress
to liver fibrosis in 10-15% of patients, represents one of the
main risk factors for developing liver cancer.

“The scientific evidence collected so far,” says Bernat
Soria, a researcher at the UMH Bioengineering Institute, Diets such as the
“shows that people’s diet plays a crucial role in this disea-
se.” A poor diet, with too many saturated fatty acids and Mediterranean – based
sugars, typical of processed products and sugary drinks, on vegetables, fruit, legu-
contributes to liver damage and adipose-tissue disorders,
systemic inflammation and imbalance of the gut micro- mes, nuts, whole grains
biota. On the other hand, diets such as the Mediterranean and fish–can reduce the
– based on vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, whole grains
and fish – can reduce the risk of fatty liver disease and pro- risk of fatty liver disease
mote cardiometabolic health. Specifically, a 10% reduction and promote cardiome-
in weight along with lifestyle changes, such as daily walks,
decreases fat accumulation in the liver, inflammation and tabolic health
fibrosis. “What’s more, a healthy lifestyle not only prevents
NAFLD but can reverse it”, emphasizes the UMH Professor,
who suffers from this disease.
Therapy to delay the onset of type 1 diabetes (Frontiers
In addition to being co-author of the publication, Bernat Cell Dev Biol 2023). The anti-inflammatory and regene-
Soria, researcher at the Institute for Health and Biomedical rative effects of this Cellular Therapy helped to decrease
Research of Alicante (ISABIAL), provided the view from the mortality due to COVID-19 (The Lancet-eClinical Medicine
side of the patient with fatty liver. He underwent a biopsy 2020) and to the recovery of cognitive capacity in mice
to show that, after a period of Mediterranean diet and phy- (Frontiers in Neuroscience 2019).
sical activity, the fatty liver can heal. This is not the first time
a researcher undergoes an intervention to test the validity The study, led by researcher from CIBEREHD and the Vir-
of a hypothesis. In 1956, the German physician Werner gen del Rocío University Hospital in Seville Manuel Ro-
Forssmann received the Nobel Prize for his pioneering te- mero Gómez, advocates a comprehensive approach that
chnique for the catheterisation of the human heart, which involves the whole society through awareness, education
he performed for the first time and successfully on himself. and policy change. Preventing obesity and fatty liver, the
researchers say, involves promoting a healthy lifestyle from
A previous study by Professor Soria had already proven an early age, active participation of health professionals,
the beneficial effects of extra virgin olive oil on the action regulating unhealthy food advertising, and implementing
of insulin (Mol Nutrition Food Res 2016; scientific Reports government policies, such as taxes on sugary drinks and
2019) and more recently the beneficial effects of Cellular food reformulation.

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