Tackling the fatty liver by targeting the gut

Obesity has epidemic proportions in the UK as more than 60% of adults are overweighted and 33% have fatty liver. Poor dietary habits (western diets) are the may contributors to liver steatosis but also have broader effects, including profound changes in the gut microbiome composition and impaired barrier function associated with increased permeability of the intestine.
The aim of this project is to improve our understanding of the mechanisms mediating the development of a fatty liver and the subsequent inflammation. This will enable the proposal of potential targets to preserve gut-liver health and prevent disease progression associated to poor dietary habits, which will be investigated in this project.