Scientists have found a new way to deal with fatty liver disease
The natural form of sugar called trehalose, fructose prevents the liver, found scientists from the University of Washington School of Medicine. Trehalose also runs the cleaning process in the liver cells, which allows them to get rid of excessive fat accumulation. Trehalose consists of two glucose molecules linked together. This type of sugar can be found in some plants and mushrooms, including shiitake and oyster mushrooms. According to experts, this discovery could lead to new methods of treatment and prevention of fatty liver disease.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is closely linked to obesity and affects almost 25% of people. The disease physicians believe occurs when the liver converts excess amount of sugar, in particular fructose. The body stores the fructose in the form of fat in the liver, known as triglycerides. In severe cases, this fat accumulates to toxic levels, and then the patients may require a liver transplant. At present there is no drug treatment for the disease. Nevertheless, it has been shown that weight loss can reduce the accumulation of fat in the liver.
A team of researchers studied the effect of trehalose on the condition of mice with fatty liver disease. When mice were fed food with high fructose have developed fatty liver disease. But as rodents give products with high fructose and drinking water containing 3% trehalose, development of fatty liver disease was prevented completely. Furthermore, mice treated with trehalose, the end of study had lower levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and fatty acids. Experts plan to conduct more studies to make sure that the mice did not lose muscle mass and bone mass, using trehalose.
Scientists have found that trehalose block the absorption of sugar by the liver cells and causes them to act as if they are starving. When the cells are starving, they trigger a process called autophagy in which cells begin to consume its own fat. Typically autophagy triggered in cells in response to stress or due to power shortage.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is closely linked to obesity and affects almost 25% of people. The disease physicians believe occurs when the liver converts excess amount of sugar, in particular fructose. The body stores the fructose in the form of fat in the liver, known as triglycerides. In severe cases, this fat accumulates to toxic levels, and then the patients may require a liver transplant. At present there is no drug treatment for the disease. Nevertheless, it has been shown that weight loss can reduce the accumulation of fat in the liver.
A team of researchers studied the effect of trehalose on the condition of mice with fatty liver disease. When mice were fed food with high fructose have developed fatty liver disease. But as rodents give products with high fructose and drinking water containing 3% trehalose, development of fatty liver disease was prevented completely. Furthermore, mice treated with trehalose, the end of study had lower levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and fatty acids. Experts plan to conduct more studies to make sure that the mice did not lose muscle mass and bone mass, using trehalose.
Scientists have found that trehalose block the absorption of sugar by the liver cells and causes them to act as if they are starving. When the cells are starving, they trigger a process called autophagy in which cells begin to consume its own fat. Typically autophagy triggered in cells in response to stress or due to power shortage.