Cases of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease on the rise, says ministry

One to three of 10 people are being diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), Health Ministry said on Friday.

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The Ministry said NAFLD could turn out to be a silent epidemic with community prevalence ranging from 9 to 32 per cent. The Centre also released revised operational guidelines and training modules regarding NAFLD for healthcare workers.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a liver disorder caused by the accumulation of excess fat in liver cells, not necessarily caused by significant alcohol consumption. The liver typically contains some fat, but if fat constitutes for more than 5 per cent of the liver’s weight, the person is said to have a fatty liver. One of the major reasons behind the high prevalence of NAFLD is the high consumption of sugar in food and sedentary lifestyle.

Dr SK Sarin, Director at Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, said several non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer were linked to liver health.

He said, “NCDs account for more than 66 per cent deaths in the country. These are associated with major behaviour risk factors such as the consumption of tobacco and alcohol, poor dietary habits, insufficient physical activity and air pollution.”

Health Secretary Apurva Chandra pointed out that India had taken a lead in recognising NAFLD as a major non-communicable disease. “Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is rapidly emerging as a major public health concern, closely linked with metabolism disorders such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Notably, India became the first country to integrate NAFLD in the National Programme for Prevention and Control of non-communicable diseases in 2021.