Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease affects both the obese and people who are 'just a bit' overweight
1:47PM BST 03 May 2015
Liver disease is one of the leading causes of early death in England Photo: Alamy
Britain has been struck by an epidemic of liver disease as people are eating more food than their bodies can handle, new research has revealed.
The illness affects around a third of the population with many sufferers unaware they have it.
And it is now thought to be one of the country’s top five causes of death – alongside to cancer, heart disease and stroke.
The illness – non-alcoholic fatty liver disease – is the only one of the big killers that is on the rise and affects not only the obese, but people who are just slightly overweight too.
The study, which is to be published by the EU, found that Britain was among the countries worst affected by the affliction.
It has prompted a Europe-wide liver disease research programme, which is to be based in north-east England where rates are at their highest, The Sunday Times reports.
Quentin Anstee, a liver specialist at Newcastle University where the research will be based, said the disease was associated with food and overeating.
"It has been known for years but was thought to affect relatively few people, linked to obesity,” he said.
"What is emerging is that not only do 94% of obese people have this disease (about a quarter of the population) but it also hits 25% of people who are just a bit overweight."
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