The effects of fasting diets on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease in the world. There is no confirmed treatment for NAFLD as yet. Recently, fasting regimens and their relationship to NAFLD have drawn a great deal of attention in the literature. We review the current evidence that supports fasting diets as an adjunctive therapeutic strategy for patients with NAFLD and address potential action mechanisms. We reason that the fasting diets might be a promising approach for modulating hepatic steatosis, fibroblast growth factors 19 and 21 signaling, lipophagy, and the metabolic profile.