New findings show that a gut microbiome signature derived from metagenomic and phenomic data can accurately predict nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in obese women. The data highlight a role for phenylacetic acid, a microbial product of aromatic amino acid metabolism, in the cross-talk between the gut microbiome and the host hepatic phenotype.
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Caussy, C., Loomba, R. Gut microbiome, microbial metabolites and the development of NAFLD. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 15, 719–720 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-018-0058-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-018-0058-x