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World J Gastroenterol. Nov 7, 2026; 32(41): 120035
Published online Nov 7, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.120035
Published online Nov 7, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.120035
Dual effects of a high-protein diet on metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: Basic research on precision clinical interventions
Ya-Rong Ma, Zhi-Gang Ren, Department of Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Antiviral Drugs, Pingyuan Laboratory, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan Province, China
Wen-Long Miao, Na Li, Gui-Zhen Zhang, Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan Province, China
Co-first authors: Ya-Rong Ma and Wen-Long Miao.
Co-corresponding authors: Gui-Zhen Zhang and Zhi-Gang Ren.
Author contributions: Ma YR and Miao WL contributed to the visualization, formal analysis and wrote the manuscript, and they are designated as co-first authors. Li N contributed to the figure preparation and revised the manuscript. Zhang GZ contributed to conceptualization, supervision the manuscript; Ren ZG contributed to critically revised the manuscript. Zhang GZ and Ren ZG are designated as co-corresponding authors. All authors reviewed and edited the draft and read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: (1) Only DeepL was used for English language polishing. No ChatGPT, Grammarly or other generative AI tools were applied in this review; (2) No part of the manuscript main text including Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion and Conclusion was generated by AI tools. All contents were independently written by the authors; (3) AI tool was only used for grammatical correction and language polishing. No AI-assisted translation, data analysis or manuscript writing was performed; (4) No artificial intelligence tool participated in study design, data analysis or result interpretation; and (5) All figures and images in this manuscript are original experimental data processed by the authors, and no AI-generated images are included.
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82470654; the Natural Science Foundation Key Project of Henan Province, No. 232300421124; the Henan Zhongyuan Medical Science and Technology Innovation and Development Foundation, No. ZYYC202301ZD; and the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program of the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, No. GZC20232430.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Zhi-Gang Ren, MD, PhD, Department of Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Antiviral Drugs, Pingyuan Laboratory, No. 46 Jianshe East Road, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan Province, China. fccrenzg@zzu.edu.cn
Received: February 13, 2026
Revised: April 15, 2026
Accepted: June 2, 2026
Published online: November 7, 2026
Processing time: 214 Days and 1.2 Hours
Revised: April 15, 2026
Accepted: June 2, 2026
Published online: November 7, 2026
Processing time: 214 Days and 1.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: A high-protein diet has dual effects on metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), with protein source, intake level, and host metabolic phenotype serving as key regulators. Although previous studies have established a framework involving the gut–liver axis and amino acid pathways, gaps persist in causal mechanisms, intake thresholds, and clinical translation of multiomic findings. Future work should prioritize validating plant-based protein bioactivities, developing personalized algorithms that integrate host–microbiota interactions, and conducting long-term randomized controlled trials for precise MASLD dietary guidance.