Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A starting point of the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus?

With changes in lifestyle, non-alcoholic fatly liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most common liver disease. As metabolic diseases, NAFLD is strongly associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). An individual’s risk of developing diabetes is increased approximately 5-fold if they have NAFLD. Numerous studies suggest that NAFLD has a causal role in the onset of T2DM. Therefore, unraveling the relationship between lipid metabolism disturbance and T2DM contributes to the understanding of the etiology of T2DM and the intervention of T2DM.This paper reviewed the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of T2DM by NAFLD such as insulin resistance, increased inflammatory mediator release, induction of metabolic dysfunction by hepatokines, impaired (3-cell function, influence on incretin by liver and decreased insulin sensitivity in adipose tissue.