Which treatment for type 2 diabetes associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease?

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are highly prevalent in the community, and share common pathogenic mechanisms. There is also evidence that T2DM may be favored by hepatic fat accumulation; in turn the presence of T2DM is a risk factor for liver disease progression. The treatment of T2DM has considerably changed in the past few years; new drug classes, promoting glucose-lowering through mechanisms different from classical insulin-sensitizing or insulin-secreting action, have been added to continuing lifestyle intervention. Metformin and pioglitazone may be safely used in the presence of liver fat, whereas sulfonylureas and insulin itself have been associated with NAFLD progression and adverse outcome. Drugs acting on the incretin axis and on Na-glucose co-transport at renal tubular level offer new hopes for a tailored treatment able to reduce the burden of hepatic triglyceride accumulation and liver disease progression.

Keywords: Glucose-lowering drugs; Incretins; Insulin; Metformin; Na-glucose cotransport 2; Thiazolidinediones.