Gibel gantzatsu ez-alkoholikoa, xxi. mendeko osasun-arazoa

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFL) is a wide spectrum illness which is comprised of different hepatic alterations, from steatosis to hepatocellular carcinoma.  In this development, obesity and insulin resistance, two health alterations that currently have reached pandemic proportions, are considered as the main risk factors. It is believed that the 25% of the population suffers from hepatic steatosis, although these data is a mere stimation, due to the fact that the illness is asymptomatic and hard to diagnose. In spite of being such a prevalent illness, still today there are neither a standarized treatment nor a consensus regarding the best moment to start treating the illness. Nevertheless, there are two treatment strategies that are mainly used nowadays: the pharmacological treatment (based on the usage of drugs that ameliorate insulin resistance and enhance body weight reduction) and diet (being energy restricted diets the most commonly used ones). Moreover, in vitro and in vivo performed studies have demonstrated that phenolic compounds could also be useful for hepatic steatosis treatment. However, taking into account the results obtained in clinical trials, there is still more research to do in order to use these compounds as a therapeutic tool for hepatic steatosis treatment in humans.