Friday, September 04, 2026

Chronic Liver Disease Remains Major Health Burden

CHRONIC liver disease (CLD) persists as a major health burden, leading to high morbidity and mortality due to alcohol consumption, viral hepatitis, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), according to a recent study in Thailand. CLD represents a major global public health challenge and carries a significant impact on healthcare systems; however, its burden was previously unexplored in Thailand.  

Researchers conducted a nationwide, population-based cross-sectional time-series study to examine trends in aetiologies, hospitalisations, and in-hospital mortality linked to CLD, including hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis, from 2017–2022. The team analysed inpatient claims data from the National Health Security Office (NHSO) of Thailand, specifically CLD-related hospitalisations following ICD-10 codes. Data showed 119,464 hospitalisations for CLD between 2017–2022 (77% male; median age: 45–66 years). The leading cause was alcohol-associated liver disease (30.8%), followed by chronic hepatitis B (11.3%), hepatitis C (10.3%), and MASLD (9.6%), with 37.5% of cases having an unidentified aetiology.  

Furthermore, the leading cause of hospitalisations was cirrhosis (incidence of 1,200–1,600 cases per month), alcohol-associated cirrhosis had the highest prevalence, and MASLD-related cirrhosis had the highest mortality. Researchers also noted a decrease in age-standardised mortality rates for hepatitis B- and C-related cirrhosis over the study period.  

The team concluded that CLD remains a major health burden in Thailand, highlighting the need for strong prevention strategies, early diagnosis, and equitable access to effective therapies to reduce morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. 

 

 

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posted by G S Iyer at 11:23 PM 0 comments

Time-Restricted Eating Linked to Improved Liver Health

Key Summary:

  • TRE was associated with sustained improvements in liver fat and fibrosis-related measures.
  • Steatosis regressed in 75.5% of MASLD participants following time-restricted eating.
  • Researchers stress that randomised trials are needed to establish whether TRE causes these benefits.

TIME-RESTRICTED eating could offer sustained benefits for people with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), according to new long-term research.

The prospective, real-world observational study found that time-restricted eating (TRE), a form of intermittent fasting, was associated with greater improvements in liver fat, fibrosis-related measures, and metabolic health than several other commonly used management strategies.

Long-Term Real-World Study

Researchers followed adults with MASLD or clinically suspected MASH who selected one of five management strategies through shared clinical decision-making. These included TRE for participants with MASLD or suspected MASH, Orlistat-supported lifestyle modification, a 1,500-kcal balanced diet, and exercise-focused lifestyle counselling.

Participants following TRE typically restricted their daily caloric intake to an approximately 8-hour eating window.

A total of 197 participants completed 28-48 months of follow-up. Liver fat and fibrosis-related outcomes were monitored using several non-invasive approaches, including controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) and liver stiffness measurement (LSM), alongside validated serum-based indices.

Improvements in Steatosis and Fibrosis

The greatest and most sustained improvements were seen amongst participants following TRE.

Steatosis regression of at least one stage occurred in 75.5% of participants with MASLD following TRE and 62.5% of those with clinically suspected MASH. This compared with 52.9% of participants receiving Orlistat-supported lifestyle modification, 47.2% following the 1,500-kcal diet, and 11% receiving exercise-focused counselling.

Fibrosis regression was observed in 35% of participants in each TRE group, compared with 21% in the Orlistat group and 25% in the balanced-diet group. No participants in the exercise-focused group demonstrated fibrosis regression.

Significant reductions in liver stiffness were also observed only in the TRE groups. Liver stiffness measurement decreased from 7.8 to 6.3 kPa in participants with MASLD and from 14.03 to 9.8 kPa in those with clinically suspected MASH.

TRE was additionally associated with improvements in body weight, glycaemic control, insulin resistance, lipid profiles, and liver enzymes.

Potential Role in MASLD Management

The researchers suggest that prolonged fasting periods may provide benefits beyond calorie restriction alone. Proposed mechanisms include improved insulin sensitivity, increased hepatic fatty acid oxidation, and reductions in oxidative and inflammatory stress.

TRE was generally well tolerated, with reported adverse events including hunger, headache, fatigue, dizziness, and changes in bowel habits. No serious adverse events attributable to TRE were reported.

However, the findings do not establish that TRE caused the improvements. Participants selected their own management strategy rather than being randomly assigned, meaning residual confounding and differences in motivation or adherence cannot be excluded. The researchers also relied on non-invasive measures rather than liver biopsy to assess fibrosis.

The authors conclude that TRE could represent a scalable and low-cost lifestyle strategy for metabolic liver disease but emphasise that randomised controlled studies are needed to confirm causality and determine the optimal approach.


This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for food, medicines, exercises and so on.   

 

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posted by G S Iyer at 11:09 PM 0 comments