Writing in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from Saint Louis University in the US report that 43 per cent of people receiving a daily dose of 800 IU of vitamin E showed significant improvement of the liver, compared with only 19 per cent of those receiving a placebo.
The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH),
NASH affects about 4 per cent of all American adults and is characterised by excessive fat that causes inflammation and damage in the liver. The disease is linked to weight gain and obesity, and can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and death.
"Fatty liver disease is a growing problem in the US, and we currently have no approved medication to offer patients," said study researcher Brent Tetri, MD.