Victor Motta

High-fat And/or Fructose Diet: Effects in Metabolism of the Liver Victor Motta

Inadequate habits in lifestyle, either by an unbalanced diet, associated or not with sedentary lifestyle, culminating in a number of clinical conditions, such as dyslipidemia, obesity, type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension. The diagnosis of three or more risk factors are called metabolic syndrome, a major cardiovascular risk factor. Lack of time combined with high world demand for labor promotes the search for food like "fast food". The binomial chronic consumption of fat and sugar reflect an important alert in the development of silent diseases, such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD is a reversible condition where large vacuoles fat accumulates in the liver cells. The most common causes are excessive alcohol intake, obesity and T2DM. However, high intake of foods rich in fat and/or sugar, especially sugar, lead to similar changes to intake alcohol in liver. In other words, the fatty liver may progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The study of the magnitude of the effects of liver disorders mediated by nutritional imbalance is fundamental in the attempt to establish preventive and therapeutic strategies.