Study of UK Children Finds Low Vitamin D Linked to Fatty Liver Disease

A UK study investigating a relationship between low vitamin D and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in British children has identified a genetic variant associated with the disease's severity. The research is being done by King's College Hospital Pediatric Liver Centre and the University of Surrey's School of Biosciences and Medicine has analyzed the medical records of 120 pediatric patients with NAFLD. The number of NAFLD cases are increasing because kids are choosing to play indoors rather than outside. Jean-Francois Dufour, a professor at the University Clinic for Visceral Surgery and Medicine, says, "Identifying a gene that impacts or alters the disease is a step in the right direction and could potentially lead to the development of new treatments or diagnostic techniques to address this growing issue." NAFLD is rapidly becoming the most common liver disease worldwide. It is estimated to effect 10% of Europe's pediatric population and around 20%-30% in the entire European population. Vitamin D was low all year round in the patients, not just in the winter. The study also found a variant of the NADSYN1 gene which is associated with NAFLD severity in patients.
I found this study to be very interesting. Before reading this article, I never heard of NAFLD. The fact that it is increasing in the pediatric population is terrible. It is definitely because children nowadays rather play video games instead of sports or anything else outside. It is incredible how much technology has helped and hurt humans.