Editorial
Copyright ©2010 Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Feb 21, 2010; 16(7): 800-803
Published online Feb 21, 2010. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v16.i7.800
Is the control of dietary cholesterol intake sufficiently effective to ameliorate nonalcoholic fatty liver disease?
Munechika Enjoji, Makoto Nakamuta
Munechika Enjoji, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University, 8-19-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan
Makoto Nakamuta, Department of Gastroenterology and Clinical Research Center, Kyushu Medical Center, National Hospital Organization, 1-8-1 Jigyohama, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-8563, Japan
Author contributions: Enjoji M drafted the editorial; both authors wrote the final version.
Correspondence to: Munechika Enjoji, MD, PhD, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University, 8-19-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan. enjoji@adm.fukuoka-u.ac.jp
Telephone: +81-92-8716631    Fax: +81-92-8630389
Received: November 2, 2009
Revised: December 7, 2009
Accepted: December 14, 2009
Published online: February 21, 2010
Abstract

In our examination of the distribution of abdominal fat, dietary intake and biochemical data in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), non-obese NAFLD patients without insulin resistance presented a characteristic pattern of dietary intake. Dietary cholesterol intake was superabundant in non-obese patients compared with obese patients, although total energy and carbohydrate intake was not excessive. Namely, excess cholesterol intake appears to be one of the main factors associated with NAFLD development and liver injury. Therefore, the control of dietary cholesterol intake may lead to an improvement in NAFLD, and the NPC1L1 inhibitor ezetimibe might be a promising treatment for NAFLD. We review one pathogenic aspect of lipid metabolism dysregulation in NAFLD and survey new strategies for NAFLD treatment based on the modification of cholesterol metabolism.

Keywords: Cholesterol; Ezetimibe; Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; NPC1L1; Polyunsaturated fatty acids