The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease has risen to nearly 40% as rates of obesity and takeaway food consumption grow in tandem, Australian researchers report.

The greatest increase in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) burden was in women and those aged 60-79, according to the Monash University–led team.

Their findings, published in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, were based on two sub-studies conducted across four regional Victorian towns in 2001-2003 and 2016-2018.

Using data from 1750 patients, the authors found that the crude prevalence of NAFLD rose from 32.7% to 38.8% between study periods.