The Hidden Metabolic Cause of Fatty Liver Disease
Metabolic Mind
Comparing low-carb, low-calorie, and medications
Amy and Karen discuss other approaches, GLP-1s, and concerns about severe energy restriction in children and older adults.
Can you reverse fatty liver disease with a ketogenic diet?
Fatty liver disease is now one of the fastest-growing liver conditions in the world, affecting roughly 30% of adults and an increasing number of children. And in many cases, it’s driven by metabolic dysfunction and insulin resistance.
In this conversation, Dr. Bret Scher speaks with Dr. Amy Goss (University of Alabama at Birmingham) and Dr. Karen Jerome-Zapadka (Trajectory Health Partners) about the growing epidemic of metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and why carbohydrate restriction and ketogenic nutrition may be powerful tools for addressing it.
In this interview, you’ll learn:
- What MASLD (formerly NAFLD) is and why it’s becoming so common
- How insulin resistance and excess carbohydrates contribute to fatty liver
- New research showing how carbohydrate restriction can reduce liver fat
- Why ketogenic and low-carb diets may improve liver metabolism beyond weight loss
- The clinical experience of reversing fatty liver through metabolic therapy
- Why lifestyle approaches often receive less attention than medications
Dr. Amy Goss and her team at the University of Alabama at Birmingham are currently conducting a large NIH-funded clinical trial investigating how carbohydrate restriction affects liver fat and insulin sensitivity in adolescents with fatty liver disease.
At the same time, Dr. Karen Jerome-Zapadka is applying these metabolic principles in clinical practice at Trajectory Health Partners, helping patients reverse steatotic liver disease through carbohydrate reduction and comprehensive metabolic care. Together, their research and real-world clinical experience are helping advance a deeper understanding of how targeting metabolic dysfunction may transform the way fatty liver disease is treated.
Curious about the safety of ketogenic therapy? Visit our Is Keto Safe topic page to see all of our top content on the topic: https://www.metabolicmind.org/resources/topics/is-keto-safe/
🔎 Have questions about how to apply metabolic therapies effectively? Submit them at metabolicmind.org/questions to be featured in a future Metabolic Mailbag episode.
#MetabolicMind #KetogenicTherapy #MASLD #FattyLiver
Expert Featured:
Dr. Amy Miskimon Goss
Dr. Karen Jerome-Zapadka
- Trajectoryhp.com
- instagram.com/kzapadka
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-jerome-zapadka-md-dabom-mhp-581b22113/
Free CME Clinician Trainings:
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Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.
Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/
About us:
Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.
Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.
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