European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

This study aims to equip health professionals with essential directions for their practice and
research in fatty liver disease. In fatty liver disease, excess fat is accumulated in the liver
cells, and it mainly has two types: Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (AFLD) and Non-Alcoholic
Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). AFLD is widely accepted to be associated with excessive
alcohol consumption. However, in NAFLD's case, although the name acknowledges that it is
not associated with excessive alcohol consumption, the exact cause of NAFLD remains
ambiguous. Furthermore, for almost four decades, without specialised treatments and
prevention strategies, NAFLD has constantly increased, affecting more than a quarter of the
world's population. Meanwhile, although the current dietary recommendations for NAFLD
patients orbit around the conventional High-Carbohydrate Low-Fat diets, mounting evidence
advocates the broader benefits of Low-Carbohydrate High-Fat (LCHF) diets in this regard.
Therefore, focusing on the databases such as PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Google
Scholar, the authors have carried out an advanced literature search reporting on the efficacy
of LCHF diets on NAFLD. After a comprehensive search—using appropriate "keywords and
Boolean operators" and "inclusion & exclusion criteria"—the authors selected a potentially
relevant set of existing peer-reviewed articles for this narrative review. After critically
investigating the LCHF-NAFLD theme, the authors found that LCHF diets may significantly
decrease liver fat and may even reverse the disease by targeting the key causes of hepatic fat
storage, i.e., high insulin levels, excessive calorie consumption (mainly from carbohydrates),
and excessive consumption of refined carbohydrates. Additionally, LCHF diets may provide
a comprehensive health benefit beyond liver health. The authors conclude that the LCHFNAFLD
theme represents a rich vein of research opportunities. The authors encourage and
call researchers, doctors, nutritionists, dieticians, and related-health professionals to engage
more with the LCHF-NAFLD theme.