Ketogenesis could be a determinant of steatohepatitis

A new study published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation has linked impaired ketogenesis (the production of alternative energy from fatty acid metabolism) to altered hepatic glucose and lipid metabolism. Mice with ketogenic insufficiency had increased de novo lipogenesis (DNL) and gluconeogenesis, and a high-fat diet (HFD) induced histological features of NASH in these animals.

The role of ketogenesis in diet-induced steatohepatitis has not been well characterized. “Classically, ketogenesis is a process that is only induced in the liver during starvation, decompensated type I diabetes, or adherence to Atkins-style diets,” explains corresponding author Peter Crawford. “Our studies were designed to show that ketogenesis is important to consider in the normal-fed state and may be significant in obesity.”