Diabetes has become an increasingly common disease, affecting millions of people worldwide. According to the International Diabetes Federation, over 537 million adults are living with diabetes globally—a number expected to rise to 643 million by 2030. This chronic condition not only affects blood sugar levels but also increases the risk of other health problems, including fatty liver disease. However, now a common diabetes medicine called dapagliflozin offers hope as researchers say that it may also help treat fatty liver disease, a new study has found. The drug not only reduced fat in the liver but also helped stop the scarring that can lead to serious liver problems.
The findings were published in the medical journal The BMJ on June 4. The study was led by Dr. Huijie Zhang, head of endocrinology and metabolism at Nanfang Hospital in Guangzhou, China.
Fatty liver disease, especially a severe type called MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis), affects millions of people worldwide. It is more common in those with diabetes or obesity and can lead to liver failure or liver cancer if not treated.
In the study, 154 patients with confirmed MASH took either dapagliflozin or a placebo pill (a pill with no medicine) every day for 48 weeks. The study was carried out across six hospitals in China between November 2018 and March 2023.
By the end of the study:
- 53 per cent of people who took dapagliflozin showed improvement in their liver condition, compared to 30 per cent of those who took a placebo.
- 23 per cent of patients taking dapagliflozin saw their fatty liver disease go away completely, compared to only 8% in the placebo group.
- 45 per cent of those on dapagliflozin also showed less liver scarring, compared to 20 per cent of those on placebo.
- Importantly, no serious side effects were reported from the drug.
Dapagliflozin is from a group of drugs called SGLT2 inhibitors, which help lower blood sugar by removing extra glucose through urine. While it is mainly used for diabetes, this study shows it may also benefit the liver.
Dr. Zhang and the research team said, “We found that 48 weeks of treatment with dapagliflozin led to significant improvement in fatty liver disease without worsening scarring.”
Fatty liver disease affects more than 5 per cent of adults around the world, and more than 30 per cent of people with diabetes or obesity. This study is the first to show that a diabetes drug can improve liver health in people with biopsy-proven MASH.
Experts say this could lead to new treatment options for people living with both diabetes and liver disease. However, further research is needed to confirm the long-term benefits.