Overview
- The Cell Metabolism study from Oxford shows liver fat production rises at night as insulin resistance worsens in the liver, muscle and abdominal fat, with overnight insulin drops promoting hepatic fat build-up.
- Researchers report most participants consumed more than 40% of daily calories at dinner, prompting guidance that large late meals are harmful for people with metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).
- MASLD, previously labeled NAFLD, is primarily a metabolic disease linked to visceral adiposity and insulin resistance rather than alcohol use.
- Population analyses estimate MASLD affects roughly 30–40% of adults worldwide, with prevalence especially high in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes and risk in Asians rising at lower BMI and specific waist thresholds.
- India recorded a 13.2% increase in age-standardized prevalence between 2010 and 2021, while experts stress early detection, lifestyle-first treatment, and cautious use of conditionally approved drugs such as resmetirom and semaglutide for more advanced disease.