Obesity not drink behind liver crisis for under-25s

A GROWING number of young people are suffering liver damage, but it is through obesity rather than excessive drinking.

- Lucy Johnston and Martyn Halle

Experts warn the high levels of fatty liver disease is a “silent epidemic” which could signal a public health crisis.

The condition is normally associated with people in their 50s and 60s – but a major study reveals one in five young adults has warning signs.

The surprising findings come from scans of more than 4,000 24-year-olds in one of the largest pieces of research into liver disease in the young.

Dr Kushala Abeysekera, from the University of Bristol who led the study, said: “Fatty liver disease is a ‘silent’ illness that can go decades without a patient feeling unwell.”