Anti-obesity medications, the new frontiers in metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease: Efficacy, limitations, and future directions

doi:10.4254/wjh.v18.i5.118303

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World Journal of Hepatology

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1948-5182

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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA

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Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.

World J Hepatol. May 27, 2026; 18(5): 118303
Published online May 27, 2026. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v18.i5.118303

Anti-obesity medications, the new frontiers in metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease: Efficacy, limitations, and future directions

Yasser Fouad, Wafaa A Abdelghany, Reem El Sheemy

Yasser Fouad, Department of Gastroenterology and Endemic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, Minya 61511, Egypt

Wafaa A Abdelghany, Department of Endemic Medicine and Gastroenterology, Minia University, Minya 19124, Egypt

Reem El Sheemy, Department of Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, Minya 61511, Egypt

Author contributions: Fouad Y designed the study; Abdelghany WA and El Sheemy R collected the data. All authors participated in writing and revising the manuscript.

Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.

Corresponding author: Yasser Fouad, Department of Gastroenterology and Endemic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, El Omoumy Road, Minya 61511, Egypt. yasserfouad10@yahoo.com

Received: December 29, 2025
Revised: January 4, 2026
Accepted: February 10, 2026
Published online: May 27, 2026
Processing time: 148 Days and 16 Hours

Core Tip

Core Tip: Novel anti-obesity drugs, especially incretin-based treatments, successfully lower body weight and enhance metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease indicators like inflammation and steatosis. However, there are major obstacles that limit their long-term potential. These include the frequent recurrence of weight gain following discontinuation, significant side effects, high costs, risks of muscle loss, and inadequate data on fibrosis reversal. In addition to additional research and systemic healthcare reforms to address these limitations, a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach is necessary to fully realize the potential of these medications for metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease.