Efficacy of Phosphatidylcholine in NAFLD

As a result of increasing rates of obesity Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver (NAFLD) is the most common liver disorder affecting 17-46% of adults and parallels the prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) and its components which also increases the risk of more advanced disease both in adults and in children.

Its pathogenesis is complex and multifactorial, mainly involving genetic, environmental and metabolic factors. New concepts are constantly appearing in the literature, promising new diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Further studies are needed to better characterize not only NAFLD development but overall NAFLD progression, in order to better identify NAFLD patients at higher risk of metabolic, cardiovascular and neoplastic complications. Pharmacological treatments aimed primarily at improving liver disease should generally be limited to those with biopsy-proven Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and liver fibrosis. Not much therapeutic options for NAFLD are accepted until today besides correction of obesity with hypocaloric diets and physical exercise and controlling hyperglycemia with diet, insulin, or oral hypoglycemic agents. Weight loss generally reduces hepatic steatosis.Essential phospholipid (EPL) as a nutritional supplement is one of the drugs under discussion with significant positive effects as antioxidative, antifibrotic effects and high biocompatibility on NAFLD.

Patients were included in the study when the following criteria to were fulfilled :

Inclusion criteria

• fatty liver upon Ultrasonography (US) /Computed Tomography (CT) /Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) with either incidental increased Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT)
• the presence of risk factors related to NAFLD + increased ALT
• symptomatic liver disease +/- hepatomegaly, +/- increased ALT
• homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance HOMA IR score > 3
• presence of liver steatosis or stiffness measured by transient elastography
• eligible patients had at least one of the following metabolic comorbidities: hypertension, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, overweight/obesity (BMI>27 kg/m2) serum cholesterol of > 200 mg/d

Patients were excluded from the study if showing evidence :

Exclusion criteria

• if showing evidence of alcoholic or chronic liver disease
• Hepatocellular Carcinoma, autoimmune hepatitis
• end stage liver disease
• treatment with other hepatoprotectants
• other concomitant EPL within 30 days of study initiation
• pregnancy or lactation