Scientists Explore Why Women are More Resistant to Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Than Men

Women are more resistant to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) than men, a new study by researchers from the Pusan National University in Busan, South Korea, explored the reasons behind it. The researchers found that the estrogen hormone and a certain protein from women are the causes.

Why Women are More Resistant?

The study was published in the journal Nature Communications on January 31, wherein the researchers determined why women, especially premenopausal women, are more capable of avoiding or mitigating the health hazards posed by NAFLD and its progressive form of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

The researchers started their premise through the acknowledgment that the reason why women are more resistant to NAFLD and NASH is unknown prior to the study. As a result, the Busan researchers conducted an experimental method using mice as a model.

In a so-called method of sex-balanced experiments, the research team found that the liver of female mice produces a protein called formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2) that helps them prevent contracting NAFLD and NASH. Meanwhile, males are more susceptible to the disease.

NAFLD and NASH

According to the American Liver Foundation (ALF), NAFLD is the build-up or accumulation of excessive fat in liver cells caused by factors not related to alcohol. Meanwhile, NASH is the more severe form of NAFLD due to an increased percentage of fat in the liver between 5% and 10%.

The ALF also emphasized NASH damages the liver and causes it to swell. In the United States alone, there are approximately 100 million people living with NAFLD. It is also the most common liver disease among children, and the cases have doubled over the past 20 years, says the ALF.

Fatty Liver Symptoms

Although fat build-up is common in the liver since it also metabolizes carbohydrates, fats, and proteins from the food we eat, the excessive accumulation of fat can damage the structure and function of the liver. Still, determining the borderline between a healthy liver and a fatty liver is essential.

According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the common signs or symptoms of a fatty liver are the following: sudden weight loss, severe tiredness or fatigue, unnatural weakness, yellow skin, yellow eyes, spider-like blood vessels visible on the skin, and long-term itching.

Furthermore, people who are either overweight or have high blood pressure, as well as those in the state of pre-diabetes and diabetes are at risk of having fatty liver disease, says JHU.

Chronic Liver Disease

NAFLD is considered to be lethal and is one of the major contributors to deaths related to chronic liver disease. It implies that a fatty liver can eventually lead to a more severe state condition of the organ.

This is especially evident when NAFLD or NASH leads to liver complications, including damage of the liver or cirrhosis of the liver.

Cirrhosis is the final stage of liver disease characterized by severe scarring of the liver up to a point when the said organ can no longer repair itself or regenerate damaged healthy liver tissues.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were 4.5 million adults in the US with a diagnosed liver disease in 2018. The CDC also added there are estimated deaths of more than 50,000 people in 2020.