​Researchers at McMaster University have uncovered an unexpected role for a naturally occurring hormone already known for reducing appetite and supporting weight loss. The hormone appears to protect the liver from inflammation through a previously unknown signaling pathway, a finding that could point toward new approaches for treating advanced fatty liver disease.
The study, published in Cell Metabolism on August 10, 2026, found that GDF15 can reduce liver inflammation and slow the development of liver scarring even when weight loss does not occur. The result challenges the long-held view that the hormone's benefits are primarily tied to its effects on appetite and body weight.

A New Target for Advanced Fatty Liver Disease

Millions of people around the world are affected by metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), an advanced form of fatty liver disease that can eventually lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver failure. New weight loss medications have helped improve outcomes for many patients, but inflammation in the liver can remain even after substantial weight loss.

By identifying a biological pathway that directly regulates this inflammation, the new findings suggest that future therapies could potentially target liver inflammation alongside existing treatments focused on weight and liver fat.

"Our findings show that GDF15 does much more than regulate appetite and body weight," says Gregory Steinberg, professor in McMaster University's Department of Medicine, co-director of the Centre for Metabolism, Obesity and Diabetes Research (MODR), and senior author of the study. "We discovered that GDF15 activates a natural brain-to-liver signaling pathway that helps suppress liver inflammation and reduce fibrosis. This changes how we think about the hormone and suggests it may be part of the body's own defense system against chronic liver injury."
Researchers at McMaster University have uncovered an unexpected role for a naturally occurring hormone already known for reducing appetite and supporting weight loss. The hormone appears to protect the liver from inflammation through a previously unknown signaling pathway, a finding that could point toward new approaches for treating advanced fatty liver disease.
The study, published in Cell Metabolism on August 10, 2026, found that GDF15 can reduce liver inflammation and slow the development of liver scarring even when weight loss does not occur. The result challenges the long-held view that the hormone's benefits are primarily tied to its effects on appetite and body weight.

A New Target for Advanced Fatty Liver Disease

Millions of people around the world are affected by metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), an advanced form of fatty liver disease that can eventually lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver failure. New weight loss medications have helped improve outcomes for many patients, but inflammation in the liver can remain even after substantial weight loss.

By identifying a biological pathway that directly regulates this inflammation, the new findings suggest that future therapies could potentially target liver inflammation alongside existing treatments focused on weight and liver fat.

"Our findings show that GDF15 does much more than regulate appetite and body weight," says Gregory Steinberg, professor in McMaster University's Department of Medicine, co-director of the Centre for Metabolism, Obesity and Diabetes Research (MODR), and senior author of the study. "We discovered that GDF15 activates a natural brain-to-liver signaling pathway that helps suppress liver inflammation and reduce fibrosis. This changes how we think about the hormone and suggests it may be part of the body's own defense system against chronic liver injury."

TO CONTINUE READING:  ​https://www.mdlinx.com/news/this-weight-loss-hormone-may-protect-the-liver-even-without-weight-loss/30Q3RUmIVLLcHyL6ioMQfh?show_order=6&utm_campaign=reg_daily-alert_20260825_daily-nl-am-v4_registered-users-a180_other&utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_content=MorningDaily

By: Giles Bruceyesterday

The OpenAI Foundation is committing $100 million to launch Breakthroughs to Follow-Through, a Common Health Coalition initiative that will use AI tools to close gaps in care delivery, the two organizations announced Aug. 13.
The initiative’s first goal is to at least double hepatitis C cure rates within eight jurisdictions over the next two years, starting with Alabama, Illinois, Louisiana and Massachusetts. Additional states will be named within six months. B2F is designed to later expand the same AI infrastructure to HIV prevention and curable cancers.
“Our $100 million investment is a commitment to scaling that impact by pairing frontier AI capabilities with the expertise of trusted local partners,” said Anna Makanju, head of civil society and philanthropy at the OpenAI Foundation, in a news release.
The Common Health Coalition, founded in 2023 by AHIP, the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association, Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente and the Alliance of Community Health Plans, now represents more than 400 members nationwide.
A single course of oral medication cures more than 95% of hepatitis C patients in eight to 12 weeks, yet about two of every three Americans living with the virus remain untreated, and 40 people die from it daily, according to the release. B2F will fund AI tools that help care teams identify patients who have fallen out of care, synthesize records and prioritize outreach.
“Hepatitis C is our first target, but we also have a broader goal with this initiative,” said Dave Chokshi, MD, chair of the Common Health Coalition, in a release.
TO CONTINUE: ​https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/healthcare-information-technology/ai/openai-foundations-100m-healthcare-push-starts-with-hepatitis-c/

Posted on July 30, 2026 by HCV Dashboard Admin

People who use drugs (PWUD) are at the highest risk for acquiring hepatitis C.  The New York State (

​NYS) Hepatitis C Elimination plan has identified PWUD as the priority population for elimination.  New treatments available to cure hepatitis C should be made accessible to PWUD.  Guidelines support treating PWUD, even those actively using.

As shown by data from the three low-threshold models of hepatitis C treatment among PWUD funded by the AIDS Institute’s Office of Hepatitis Health Care and Epidemiology (OHHCE), high cure rates among PWUD are possible, especially when paired with supportive services including harm reduction and medication for opioid use disorder. 

Rural communities in the United States have been disproportionately affected by the opioid epidemic, facing higher rates of opioid-related deaths and unique systemic challenges in addressing the crisis. As the opioid crisis surged, the number of new hepatitis C cases increased. From 2004-2014, among people ages 18-29, drug treatment program admissions for injection opioid use increased by 622%. HCV incidence increased by 400% in the same cohort.

​1 Between 2000-2019, HCV rates increased 10-fold among pregnant women with parallel increases in substance use and opioid use disorders.2
In NYS, outside of New York City, rates of hepatitis C are greater in rural areas than urban ones.  According to 2024 NYS hepatitis C case report data, the rate of newly reported hepatitis C cases was higher in rural counties than urban counties outside of NYC (33.0 per 100,000 vs. 20.3 per 100,000 population).  The highest rate was reported in the NY Penn/Binghamton area (33.7 per 100,000).3

​To Continue: https://hcvdashboardny.org/raising-awareness-of-hepatitis-c-in-rural-new-york/Posted on July 30, 2026 by HCV Dashboard Admin

Published July 27, 2026Originally published on ScienceDaily Top Health
MD Linx

One of the largest investigations yet into coffee and liver health has found that people who drink more coffee tend to have lower risks of cirrhosis, liver cancer, and death related to liver disease.
The Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University study, published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, also uncovered biological patterns that could help explain why coffee consumption has repeatedly been associated with healthier livers.
Previous studies suggested that coffee might benefit the liver, but most were smaller or looked at only one piece of the puzzle," said hepatologist Hyunseok Kim, MD, MPH, PhD, assistant professor of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai and corresponding author of the study. "We followed hundreds of thousands of people for more than a decade and looked at their health outcomes along with liver MRI scans and blood protein analyses. Together, those findings help explain the biological mechanisms behind coffee's association with better liver health."
Study Followed Nearly 355,000 Adults
Researchers examined data from 354,957 UK Biobank participants who had no history of cirrhosis or liver cancer when the study began. Using linked medical records, the team tracked new cases of cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver-related death over a median period of 13 years.
The results showed that coffee drinkers generally experienced better liver outcomes than people who did not drink coffee.

​TO CONTINUE READING: https://www.mdlinx.com/news/coffee-may-help-shield-the-liver-from-fat-scarring-and-cancer/5IApOObC8RJN7BvEMxtRTd?show_order=7&utm_campaign=reg_daily-alert_2600802_daily-nl-am-v4_registered-users-a180_all&utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_content=MorningDaily