Chandigarh, March 9
Obesity-related liver disease could well go on to become the number one cause of liver cirrhosis (permanent and irreversible scarring of the liver) in India as in the US.

Indians with waist circumference and Body Mass Index (BMI) lower than the Americans face the same risk of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), which has so far been typically associated with western lifestyles, low physical activity, high-calorie diet and high obesity.

A significant new study from West Bengal has shown high prevalence of NAFLD among members of rural population who were neither alcohol consumers nor overweight or obese.

“The study indicates that Asian Indians anywhere globally could be at higher risk of having fatty liver disease than previously thought. Indians who believe they are safer being thinner than Americans and less obese are actually at a disproportionately higher risk of NAFLD than the Americans,” Dr Patrick S Kamath, Professor of Hepatology from Mayo Clinic College of Medicine today told The Tribune in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the International Liver Summit being organised by Fortis Hospital, Mohali.

The summit, which has over 40 global liver experts among participants, was inaugurated today by Prof Stephen A Locarnini, Director, World Health Organisation Regional Reference Laboratory for viral hepatitis B.

About 8.5 per cent of the population sampled in the West Bengal study was found to be having fatty liver, a finding which experts of National Institute of Health, US, describe as “remarkable” considering this disease was hitherto thought to be one of the west.