Latest Research
A snapshot of recent, peer-reviewed developments in liver science. This is a research summary for awareness only, not a treatment recommendation — talk to your doctor about what applies to you.
Global MASLD cases projected to reach 1.8 billion by 2050
A Global Burden of Disease analysis estimated that about 1.3 billion people had MASLD in 2023 — 16.1% of the world's population, or roughly 1 in 6 people of all ages — up 142.7% since 1990. Cases are projected to reach 1.8 billion by 2050 if current trends continue. High blood sugar, high body weight and smoking were the main risk factors identified, which makes prevention the highest-leverage response. (This counts the whole population, children included; the ~30% figure elsewhere on this site refers to adults only.)
Read the study →NAFLD has been renamed MASLD
International liver societies introduced "metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease" (MASLD) to better reflect the metabolic roots of the condition. Diagnosis now centres on fat in the liver plus at least one metabolic risk factor — such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, or high cholesterol — which has changed how the condition is studied and treated.
Read the study →A common B-vitamin shows promise against fatty liver
Researchers found that a microRNA called miR-93 drives MASLD by switching off a protective gene (SIRT1), and that vitamin B3 (niacin) — an inexpensive, already-approved supplement — lowered miR-93 and restored fat processing in mice. It's early-stage animal research, not a proven treatment, but it points to a low-cost avenue worth watching.
Read the study →Experimental drug ION224 improves MASH in a clinical trial
In a 51-week phase 2 trial of 160 adults with MASH (the more aggressive, inflamed form of fatty liver disease) and mild-to-moderate scarring, monthly injections of ION224 — which blocks DGAT2, an enzyme the liver uses to make and store fat — improved liver health in about 60% of people on the highest dose, even without significant weight loss. Larger phase 3 trials are needed before it could become a treatment.
Read the study →Gene-expression changes linked to early liver scarring
Studying 109 people with obesity before weight-loss surgery, an international team found that genes linked to GTP-binding proteins were switched differently in the livers of people with MASLD and early scarring (fibrosis), but not in those with MASLD alone. Blocking these proteins reduced collagen release in human cells. The team is now studying whether the link is causal.
Read the study →Non-invasive tests have largely replaced routine liver biopsy
US liver-specialist guidelines now favour simple blood-based scores such as FIB-4, and elastography scans that measure liver stiffness, over biopsy for assessing fatty liver disease in most patients, making risk assessment more accessible. Biopsy is still used in specific situations.
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