Children born with lower or higher weight than normal may be at increased risk for developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by the time they become teenagers, says a study.
Advanced scarring of the liver was associated with low birth weight, while more inflammation was linked to high birth weight, according to the study published in the Journal of Pediatrics.
“With the obesity epidemic, we are seeing more babies with high birth weight than ever before,” said study co-author Mark Fishbein from Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago in the US.
“Our study shows that these kids are more likely to have serious liver damage by the time they are teenagers,” Fishbein said.