Research
Hormonal
Insulin resistance is the central pathogenic mechanism linking Metabolic Syndrome and NAFLD, driven by visceral adipose tissue expansion and the resulting release of free fatty acids and adipokines.
Fatty liver is not just about fat in the liver; it is a symptom of insulin resistance caused by visceral fat. Treating the underlying insulin resistance through weight loss and exercise is more effective than targeting liver fat alone.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
MS and NAFLD share several pathogenetic features, with insulin resistance (IR) as the most relevant... IR determines an accumulation of free fatty acids (FFAs) inside the liver, due to an increased hepatic lipogenesis and the missed suppression of lipolysis of the adipose tissue.
Why this rating
Narrative review synthesizing established physiological pathways.
Source
Mechanisms of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in the Metabolic Syndrome. A Narrative Review
Luca Rinaldi et al. · Antioxidants · 2021
DOI 10.3390/antiox10020270
narrative_reviewCited 168×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Lifestyle modifications, specifically diet, physical exercise, and weight loss, are the primary effective therapeutic interventions for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and Metabolic Syndrome (MS), as they directly improve insulin resistance and histological liver outcomes.Good
- Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet (MD) reduces the incidence of NAFLD and improves insulin resistance through antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and lipid-lowering mechanisms.Good
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