80% of India’s IT workforce struggles with fatty liver disease: Nature Study

Srinagar, Feb 26: According to a new study published in Nature journal, about 84% of the IT employees in India are suffering from Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD). The cause behind the disease, the research claims, is attributed to the sedentary lifestyle, involving long hours of sitting at the desk, work-related stress, inadequate sleep and shift work.

The other factors fuelling the risk of several non-communicable diseases including fatty liver disease called MAFLD, are unhealthy food habits such as intake of high-calorie diet, sugar-sweetened beverages and lack of physical activity, the study revealed.

Around 71 per cent of IT employees are obese and about 34 per cent have metabolic syndrome which is a cluster of diseased conditions that increase the risk of fatty liver, obesity, diabetes and increased blood pressure, The study conducted by researchers of Hyderabad University revealed.

The research was conducted by Prof Kalyankar Mahadev and Prof CT Anitha, along with their research scholars Bharam Bhargava and Nanditha Pramod, in collaboration with senior hepatologist Dr PN Rao and his team from AIG Hospital. The findings of the study were published in the Nature journal.

According to Mayo Clinic, in this condition too much fat builds up in the liver. It is also known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. MAFLD includes a wide spectrum of liver injury including simple steatosis and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) that may lead to serious complications such as liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.

A 2023 study published in the Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry revealed that it has become one of the most relevant forms of chronic liver disease worldwide due to the progressively increased in obesity rates over the past 30–40 years.

AIG study, fatty liver disease, IT workers, Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD), sedentary lifestyle, UoH Study, fatty liver, health news, wellness news. (Financial Express)