Synbiotics Alter Fecal Microbiomes, But Not Liver Fat or Fibrosis, in a Randomized Trial of Patients With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Background & Aims: Dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiota has been associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We investigated whether administration of a synbiotic combination of probiotic and prebiotic agents affected liver fat content, biomarkers of liver fibrosis, and the composition of the fecal microbiome in patients with NAFLD.

Methods: We performed a double-blind phase 2 trial of 104 patients with NAFLD in the United Kingdom.

Marine omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: Plasma proteomics in the randomized WELCOME* trial.

Background & Aims: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a liver condition characterised by liver fat accumulation and often considered to be the liver manifestation of metabolic syndrome. The aim of this study was to examine in patients with NAFLD the system-wide effects of treatment with docosahexaenoic acid + eicosapentaenoic acid (DHA + EPA) versus placebo on the plasma proteome.

Methods: Plasma from patients that participated in a 15-18 months randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled trial testing the effects of 4 g DHA + EPA daily was analysed using depletion-free quantitative proteomics.

The characterisation of hepatic mitochondrial function in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) using the C-ketoisocaproate breath test.

Unlabelled: Hepatic mitochondrial function (HMF) assessed by the C-ketoisocaproate breath test (C-KICA BT) has been previously shown to be significantly associated with the severity of biopsy proven non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, it is uncertain whether any perturbation in HMF relates specifically to severity of liver disease or factors associated with metabolic syndrome within (NAFLD). Our aim was to investigate whether there was any change in HMF assessed by C-KICA BT in patients with NAFLD compared to control subjects, and to assess the factors that are independently associated with HMF.

Design and rationale of the INSYTE study: A randomised, placebo controlled study to test the efficacy of a synbiotic on liver fat, disease biomarkers and intestinal microbiota in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) represents a spectrum of fat-related conditions ranging from simple fatty liver, to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), fibrosis and cirrhosis. There is growing evidence that NAFLD is a multisystem disease, affecting several extra-hepatic organs and regulatory pathways. Furthermore, since the gut and liver are linked anatomically via the portal vein, disturbances of the gut microbiota (dysbiosis) can affect the liver.