Low vitamin D associated with fatty liver disease in kids

Scientists have identified a genetic variant associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in British children while investigating link between low vitamin D status and the disease.

The research by the King's College Hospital Paediatric Liver Centre and the University of Surrey's School of Biosciences and Medicine have found an association between low vitamin D status and incidence of NAFLD, which they believe will help better understand the growing rate of NAFLD in children throughout the western world.

The study also detected a variant of the NADSYN1 gene which was associated with NAFLD severity in patients.

Jean-Francois Dufour, from University Clinic for Visceral Surgery and Medicine, said that identifying a gene that impacts or alters the disease is a step in the right direction and could potentially lead to the development of new treatments or diagnostic techniques to address this growing issue.