Diet-Induced Models of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Food for Thought on Sugar, Fat, and Cholesterol

James M. Eng; Jennifer L. Estall

doi:10.3390/cells10071805

journal article Open Access Jul 16, 2021

Diet-Induced Models of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Food for Thought on Sugar, Fat, and Cholesterol

James M. Eng Jennifer L. Estall

Cells Vol. 10 No. 7 pp. 1805 · MDPI AG

View at Publisher Save 10.3390/cells10071805

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects approximately 1 in 4 people worldwide and is a major burden to health care systems. A major concern in NAFLD research is lack of confidence in pre-clinical animal models, raising questions regarding translation to humans. Recently, there has been renewed interest in creating dietary models of NAFLD with higher similarity to human diets in hopes to better recapitulate disease pathology. This review summarizes recent research comparing individual roles of major dietary components to NAFLD and addresses common misconceptions surrounding frequently used diet-based NAFLD models. We discuss the effects of glucose, fructose, and sucrose on the liver, and how solid vs. liquid sugar differ in promoting disease. We consider studies on dosages of fat and cholesterol needed to promote NAFLD versus NASH, and discuss important considerations when choosing control diets, mouse strains, and diet duration. Lastly, we provide our recommendations on amount and type of sugar, fat, and cholesterol to include when modelling diet-induced NAFLD/NASH in mice.

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References

Details

Published: Jul 16, 2021
Vol/Issue: 10(7)
Pages: 1805
License: View

Authors

J

James M. Eng

Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada; Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada

J

Jennifer L. Estall

Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada; Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada

Funding

Canadian Institutes of Health Research Award: PJ9-169679

Cite This Article

James M. Eng, Jennifer L. Estall (2021). Diet-Induced Models of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Food for Thought on Sugar, Fat, and Cholesterol. Cells, 10(7), 1805. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10071805

Diet-Induced Models of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Food for Thought on Sugar, Fat, and Cholesterol

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