Research

Hormonal

Dietary supplementation with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (specifically DHA) attenuates nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and fibrosis by suppressing betacellulin (BTC) expression, thereby inhibiting hepatic stellate cell proliferation and collagen production.

To support liver health and potentially reduce fibrosis risk, prioritize dietary sources of Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA), a type of Omega-3 fatty acid. Research suggests DHA is particularly effective at suppressing betacellulin, a protein that drives liver scarring. While general Omega-3s help, DHA appears to have a stronger specific effect on this pathway. Consult a healthcare provider before making significant dietary changes, especially if you have existing liver conditions.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Taken together, our results suggest that suppression of betacellulin is one of the key mechanisms associated with anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic effects of omega-3 PUFA during NASH.
Jyothi Padiadpu et al. · EMBO Molecular Medicine · 2023

Why this rating

The study is a preclinical mouse model combined with in vitro cell culture; it lacks human clinical trial data for efficacy.

Source

Multi‐omic network analysis identified betacellulin as a novel target of omega‐3 fatty acid attenuation of western diet‐induced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

Jyothi Padiadpu et al. · EMBO Molecular Medicine · 2023

DOI 10.15252/emmm.202318367

Meta-analysis · 7 studiesCited 12×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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