Pilot Study: Diabetes Prevention Program for the Treatment of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a rapidly growing epidemic worldwide and is an increasingly important etiology of chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. NAFLD affects approximately 90 million people in the United States (US) amounting to an annual cost of $100 billion yearly. It is projected to become the leading cause of liver transplantation in the US by 2030 and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. NAFLD is a spectrum of liver diseases, ranging from simple steatosis (nonalcoholic fatty liver, NAFL) to hepatic steatosis associated with inflammation (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, NASH), which can be associated with liver scarring (hepatic fibrosis) and cirrhosis. There are limited therapeutic options that have been shown to effectively reduce or reverse the progression of disease.

Lifestyle modification is the backbone of therapy, but difficult to achieve. A modest amount of weight loss of approximately 3% can reduce liver steatosis and a 10% weight loss can reduce the NASH and improve liver fibrosis. The American Association of the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) guidelines state that "a combination of a hypocaloric diet (daily reduction by 500-1000 kcal) and moderate intensity exercise is the best likelihood of sustaining weight loss over time." There are several barriers to adopting a healthy lifestyle involving both patient and physician limitations. The aim of this study is to engage patients in a lifestyle intervention program that has already been shown to be successful in achieving weight loss goals and adopting healthier lifestyle patterns.

The CDC Diabetes Prevention Program, (DPP) was a large (n=3,234) multicenter study aimed to evaluate the effect of lifestyle intervention or treatment with metformin on the incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Lifestyle intervention reduced the incidence of T2DM by 58% (95% CI, 48-66%) and metformin reduced the incidence by 31% (95% CI, 17-43%) as compared to placebo. To prevent one case of diabetes over three years, 6.9 persons would have to participate in the lifestyle-intervention program, and 13.9 would have to receive metformin. The CDC DPP program has been adapted and tested in the multiple different community and state-wide programs including the YMCA, WorkWellNYC and NYS DPP. In these real-world models, the life style intervention program has been delivered in a group-based format by DPP lifestyle coaches. These programs have been successful like that of the randomized trial and improvements were sustainable at 6 and 12 month follow up after completion of the program. The program is now available and reimbursable through Medicare (Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program).

In this pilot study, the researchers will enroll 20 patients with NAFLD in an adapted DPP program and follow study participants for 1 year. The rationale for the proposed research is to apply the DPP to NAFLD because of the close relationship with Diabetes and determine the real-world outcome of the DPP program on weight loss in patients with NAFLD. If the researchers illustrate that weight loss can be achieved and is sustainable in patients with NAFLD enrolled in lifestyle intervention programs, the researchers can develop innovative approaches to deliver such a program nationwide in a cost-effective and sustainable manner.