ABSTRACT
MARIANA VERDELHO MACHADO, DUARTE M.S. FERREIRA, RUI E. CASTRO, ANA RITA SILVESTRE, TERESINHA EVANGELISTA, JOÃO COUTINHO, FÁTIMA CAREPA, ADÍLIA COSTA, CECÍLIA M. P. RODRIGUES, and HELENA CORTEZ-PINTO
7.1 INTRODUCTION
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition characterized by fat accumulation in the liver, not related with alcohol consumption. It represents a wide spectrum of pathological subgroups, from benign simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which can progress to hepatic cirrhosis [1], and is associated with overall and liver-related increased mortality [2]. Two of the main risk factors for developing NAFLD are insulin resistance and obesity, in which the peripheral adipose tissue reservoir capacity is overwhelmed, allowing ectopic fat accumulation.
