Liver Health Metabolic Dysfunction-associated Steatotic Liver Disease and How to Prevent It A healthy diet may reduce your risk By Sharon Basaraba Updated on August 06, 2023 Medically reviewed by Mary Choy, PharmD Print Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD, formerly known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease or NAFLD), is on the rise in the United States thanks to a huge increase in obesity rates over the last three decades. In industrialized countries, 20-40% of the general population has some form of fatty liver (or steatotic) disease and the chances of its progressing increase with age. Officially recognized as a disease in the early 1980s, MASLD perplexed the medical community. Obese and diabetic patients had elevated liver enzymes and enlarged livers virtually identical to those typically seen in alcoholics, but most of them insisted they were not drinking excessively. Tetra Images / Getty Images In June 2023, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, along with several other liver research societies and patient advocacy groups, announced new names for the conditions NAFLD and NASH. The names were changed to more accurately reflect the causes of the conditions and to reduce the usage of stigmatizing language. Liver Function Basics The liver is your largest internal organ. It performs hundreds of functions including: Processing everything you eat and drinkPulling toxins from your bloodFighting off infectionControlling blood sugar levelsHelping to manufacture hormones and proteins Symptoms The liver normally weighs about three pounds. When more than 5-10% of your liver’s weight is fat, you have a “fatty liver.” While excess liver fat, or steatosis, causes no problems for some, it can cause symptoms of impaired liver function, including: Fatigue Nausea Abdominal pain Yellowing skin or eyes (as in jaundice) Inflammation that causes scarring is a hallmark symptom of liver injury in advanced MASLD, which can lead to cirrhosis. Once you damage your liver, your body lays down collagen to repair it. Fibrosis or thickening of the liver tissue then ensues. As MASLD progresses, about 10% of cases will develop over the next ten years into the much more serious metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH, formerly known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH). MASH can lead to: Cirrhosis or hardening of the liver Liver failure Liver cancer Death Diagnosis An accurate diagnosis of MASLD is the first step towards treating this, sometimes, serious health condition. Your physician will usually diagnose fatty liver disease by: Administering tests to detect elevated liver enzymes Ordering an ultrasound to determine if you have an enlarged liver Performing a liver biopsy to determine whether you have MASH or simple fatty liver Risk Factors Though the exact causes of MASLD are not known, patients have some pre-existing conditions in common, including: Type 2 diabetes Obesity (particularly when fat is concentrated in the abdomen) Have metabolic syndrome diagnosis Sleep apnea Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) What’s more, the severity of MASLD increases with the degree of obesity, and abdominal or belly fat seems to increase the risk of dangerous MASH, even in patients with a body mass index (BMI) in the normal range. BMI is a dated, flawed measure. It does not take into account factors such as body composition, ethnicity, sex, race, and age. Even though it is a biased measure, BMI is still widely used in the medical community because it’s an inexpensive and quick way to analyze a person’s potential health status and outcomes. Researchers Say Waist-to-Hip Ratio Should Replace BMI—Here’s Why Dietary Considerations What you eat and the nutrition it provides contributes to the onset, progression, and treatment of MASLD. You may be able to prevent MASLD by eating a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight. Dietary factors that increase your risk include consuming: A high-calorie dietA diet rich in hydrogenated oil (trans fats)Too much protein from animal sources, resulting in a high intake of saturated fat and cholesterolToo many beverages sweetened with high fructose corn syrup Dietary factors that reduce your risk of MASLD include: Consuming fewer caloriesEating protein from whey or vegetable sources, instead of from meat and cheeseLosing 3 to 10 percent of your bodyweight (weight loss can reduce fat, inflammation, and fibrosis in the liver)Adding fiber, green tea, and coffee to your diet 10 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Benedict M, Zhang X. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: An expanded review. World J Hepatol. 2017;9(16):715–732. doi:10.4254/wjh.v9.i16.715 Hassan K, Bhalla V, El Regal ME, A-Kader HH. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a comprehensive review of a growing epidemic. World J Gastroenterol. 2014;20(34):12082–12101. doi:10.3748/wjg.v20.i34.12082 Rinella ME, Lazarus JV, Ratziu V, et al. A multi-society Delphi consensus statement on new fatty liver disease nomenclature. Ann Hepatol. 2023;101133. doi:10.1016/j.aohep.2023.101133 InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG). How does the liver work? Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279393/ Chan SC, Liu CL, Lo CM, et al. Estimating liver weight of adults by body weight and gender. World J Gastroenterol. 2006;12(14):2217–2222. doi:10.3748/wjg.v12.i4.2217 Neuman MG, Cohen LB, Nanau RM. Biomarkers in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Can J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2014;28(11):607–618. Calzadilla Bertot L, Adams LA. The Natural Course of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Int J Mol Sci. 2016;17(5):774. doi:10.3390/ijms17050774 Jennison E, Patel J, Scorletti E, Byrne CD. Diagnosis and management of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Postgrad Med J. 2019;95(1124):314-322. Stefan N, Häring HU, Cusi K. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: causes, diagnosis, cardiometabolic consequences, and treatment strategies. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2019;7(4):313-324. Jeznach-Steinhagen A, Ostrowska J, Czerwonogrodzka-Senczyna A, Boniecka I, Shahnazaryan U, Kuryłowicz A. Dietary and Pharmacological Treatment of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Medicina (Kaunas). 2019;55(5):166. doi:10.3390/medicina55050166 Additional Reading Fatty Liver Disease. Canadian Liver Foundation Public Information Sheet. Lazo, et al. “Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and mortality among US adults: prospective cohort study.” BMJ. 2011 Nov 18;343:d6891. Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). American Liver Foundation Public Information Sheet. Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis. US Department of Health and Human Services Public Information Sheet. Angulo, Paul, and Lindor, Keith. Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (2002) 17 (Suppl.) S186–S190. Ludwig, et al. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis: Mayo Clinic experiences with a hitherto unnamed disease. Mayo Clin Proc 1980; 55:434-8. By Sharon Basaraba Sharon Basaraba is an award-winning reporter and senior scientific communications advisor for Alberta Health Services in Alberta, Canada. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Medical Expert Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit