Fish Oil and Other Dietary Fats: What the Research Says About Fatty Liver Disease

This review article looks at how certain fats from food—omega-3 fatty acids (like those in fish oil), furan fatty acids, and hydroxy fatty acid esters—relate to metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), a very common liver condition linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes that affects an estimated 1.7 billion people worldwide.

The researchers summarize existing studies (including several meta-analyses) showing that marine-based omega-3s (EPA and DHA) are associated with lower blood triglycerides, improvements in liver fat levels, and favorable changes in some liver enzyme markers in people with MAFLD. Plant-based omega-3 (ALA) also showed some benefits for liver enzymes, triglycerides, and body weight measures when paired with diet and exercise changes, though effects on blood sugar control and body composition were less consistent across studies.

The authors also discuss two lesser-known bioactive fats—furan fatty acids and fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids—which have shown some encouraging signals in animal and cell studies related to liver health, but the human research on these compounds is still very limited and results have been mixed, especially for their effect on fat buildup in the liver.