Nutrition, inflammation and liver-spleen axis

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Immunology and Metabolic Disease Research
• Atherosclerosis and Systemic Inflammation Pathways

Background:

• Chronic low-grade systemic inflammation is a common pathway in many diseases, including those linked to atherosclerosis.
• Dietary factors and genetic susceptibility can trigger innate immune signaling, promoting chronic inflammation.
• Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is a major cause of liver disease, driven by dietary and metabolic influences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the bidirectional mechanisms connecting nutrition and inflammation.
• To highlight the inflammatory impact of nutrition on the liver-spleen axis.
• To discuss specific dietary components and their role in inflammation.

Main Methods:

• Literature review focusing on nutritional epidemiology and inflammatory mechanisms.
• Analysis of the role of diet quality, quantity, and specific nutrients.
• Examination of the liver-spleen axis in the context of NAFLD and inflammation.

Main Results:

• Unhealthy diets can promote inflammation, while healthy patterns like the Mediterranean diet may be protective.
• Specific nutrients (e.g., vitamin D, Magnesium) and molecules (e.g., Glucagon-Like Peptide-1) influence inflammatory responses.
• The liver-spleen axis is significantly affected by nutritional and inflammatory processes in NAFLD.

Conclusions:

• Nutrition plays a critical role in modulating chronic inflammation and the liver-spleen axis.
• Personalized dietary interventions are essential for managing diet-induced inflammation.
• Expert nutritionists are crucial for advancing nutritional epidemiology and intervention strategies.