Obesity, liver metabolic disorders and cancer

Obesity and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) are major etiological factors leading to hepatic metabolic disorders commonly referred as Metabolic dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD). These include hepatic insulin resistance (IR) and steatosis, inflammation (Metabolic dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis or MASH) and fibrosis development. Unfortunately, these metabolic disorders may then progress with time towards life-threatening diseases such as hepatic cirrhosis and cancer (e.g., hepatocellular carcinoma or HCC). In this regard, obesity and the MetS have reached pandemic proportions and incidences of MASLD/MASH and HCC are expected to dramatically increase in the future.