Impact of Fructose on Metabolism, Energy Homeostasis and Magnetic Resonance (MR) Biomarkers in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)
This study will advance several goals of the NIH Action Plan: 1) establish a multidisciplinary team to develop quantitative methodologies and imaging protocols for liver, 2) validate diagnostic criteria and methodologies for imaging in liver in both a cross-sectional and a longitudinal dietary intervention study of patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), 3) create a liver tissue bank with correlative imaging data, 4) develop reliable non-invasive MR markers to distinguish simple steatosis from Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), and 5) define the dynamic changes in metabolism, energy homeostasis, and MR biomarkers as they relate to fructose-related liver injury.
∙ Patients must satisfy all of the following criteria to be eligible for enrollment:
• Age greater than 18 years as of the initial screening interview and provision of consent
• Healthy control as defined by:
‣ normal liver aminotransferases AND
⁃ no evidence of NAFLD on radiologic imaging studies AND
⁃ no history of chronic liver disease OR
⁃ liver biopsy (if one had been historically performed for evaluation of suspected liver disease).
∙ OR • Patient with clinically suspected NAFLD as assessed by standard of care measures (risk factors for NAFLD, abnormal liver enzymes and/or fatty liver on imaging studies) who are scheduled to will undergo liver biopsy for the purpose of grading / staging the severity of their underlying liver disease