1 in 3 Indians Have Fatty Liver: New Indo-French Network Targets Disease

New Delhi: Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh, a renowned diabetologist, recently unveiled the Indo-French Liver and Metabolic Disease Network (InFLiMeN) at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences. This virtual platform aims to tackle non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a condition affecting one in three Indians and often preceding type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders.

During the launch, Dr. Singh revealed that nearly 33% of Indians have fatty liver, with 20% of cases occurring in non-obese individuals. He noted that both India and Europe face rising NAFLD rates due to lifestyle changes, poor diet, and metabolic syndromes.

The minister also highlighted the significant burden of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) in India and France, which progresses similarly to NAFLD. To address these challenges, InFLiMeN will employ a comprehensive omics approach for biomarker discovery and disease management.

Dr. Singh emphasized the need for developing affordable, point-of-care tests for detecting various stages of fatty liver disease. He stressed the importance of this collaborative effort in addressing the growing prevalence of metabolic liver diseases in both countries.

Highlighting India’s progress, the minister noted the country’s emergence as a global leader in both curative and preventive healthcare over the past decade. The InFLiMeN initiative represents a crucial step towards understanding, preventing, and treating NAFLD and related conditions, potentially improving millions of lives across India and France.