Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and the metabolic syndrome

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a constellation of diseases ranging from benign liver steatosis to fibrosing nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Its incidence is on the rise in parallel to obesity. Its clinico-pathogenesis is associated with metabolic syndrome. Accumulation of fat in liver constitutes its mechanistic basis. With liver steatosis being mechanistically linked to insulin action, it is natural to associate NAFLD with insulin resistance. However, this notion has not been universally held, largely because of the limited availability of animal models that best replicate the human disease. This review will emphasize novel mechanisms linking NAFLD pathogenesis to the Carcino-Embryonic Antigen-related Cell Adhesion Molecule 1 (CEACAM1), a protein that is implicated in the regulation of insulin and lipid metabolism in liver. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.