Up to 80% of people who suffer from morbid obesity (BMI > 40 kg/m²) could be affected by non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, also called “fatty liver disease“.
Recently, a study published in Journal of Hepatology conducted by Inserm, the University of Poitiers, the Robert Williams Institute of Hepatology at King’s College and the University of Lausanne highlights the link between fat accumulation in the liver and neurological disorders. Explanations.
How could the liver and the brain communicate so well? The researchers note that “fat accumulation in the liver leads to decreased oxygen in the brain and inflammation of brain tissue – two phenomena associated with an increased risk of serious neurological diseases such as dementia.
The role of a specific protein
To arrive at this observation, two groups of animal models were studied, with two diets. One had 10% fat in his diet, the other 55%. After 16 weeks, their livers and brains were studied. In the group with the most fatty diet, hepatic steatosis was detected, but also behavioral disorders resulting from cerebral dysfunction. Their brains were less oxygenated than the other mice.
The researchers’ explanation? “The disease would reduce the number and diameter of cerebral blood vessels, which would thus bring less oxygen to the tissues”. Another option: “Specific cells could also consume more oxygen because of the inflammation detected in the brain”.
the study has also identified a protein responsible for the effects of this liver disease (silent for several years in most cases), on the brain: Monocarboxylate Transporter 1 (MCT1). In mice that had low MCT1 levels, the high-fat, high-sugar diet did not cause fat accumulation in the liver or brain dysfunction. This could open up an interesting therapeutic avenue, according to the scientists.
Source: “fatty liver disease” increases the risk of developing brain disorders, Inserm, November 16, 2022.
