Hormonal
In nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), hepatic diacylglycerol (DAG) concentrations are increased and positively correlate with liver fat content, whereas ceramide concentrations remain unchanged and do not correlate with liver fat.
If you have fatty liver, the specific type of fat accumulating in your liver matters. This research suggests that diacylglycerols (DAGs), not ceramides, are the lipid species that rise alongside liver fat in humans. While this is a mechanistic finding, it implies that interventions targeting lipid metabolism should consider the specific lipid species involved rather than assuming all 'bad fats' act the same way.
The absolute (nmol/mg) hepatic concentrations of diacylglycerols but not ceramides were increased in the NAFL+ group compared with the NAFL- group... Liver fat percent was positively related to hepatic stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) activity index... and the hepatic lipogenic index... Hepatic SCD1 activity index was positively related to the concentrations of diacylglycerols... but not ceramides.
Why this rating
Small sample size (n=16) and cross-sectional design limit causal inference, but the lipidomic methodology is rigorous.
Source
Hepatic Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase (SCD)-1 Activity and Diacylglycerol but Not Ceramide Concentrations Are Increased in the Nonalcoholic Human Fatty Liver
Anna Kotronen et al. · Diabetes · 2008
DOI 10.2337/db08-1074
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