The goal of this observational, cross-sectional, case-control clinical study is to investigate the metabolic adaptations underlying the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and to test the hypothesis that hepatic mitochondrial reductive stress contributes to progression of NAFLD.
The main question it aims to answer is:
Do patients with advanced NAFLD compared to patients with mild NAFLD and healthy controls have increased hepatic mitochondrial reductive stress as determined by the ketoisocaproate breath test and by plasma beta-hydroxybutyrate to acetoacetate ratio (b-OHB/AcAc)?