Researchers found that low testosterone combined with a high-fructose diet worsens fatty liver disease in mice. In early research, the harmful effect appeared to be driven by changes in gut bacteria, pointing to a possible new target for preventing liver damage.
Fatty liver disease affects many people and often has no early symptoms. If future studies confirm this link in humans, men with low testosterone may need extra care with sugary diets, and gut bacteria could become a route for protecting the liver before damage sets in.
✦ For now, it's mouse research — but hormones, sugar, and gut bacteria may act on your liver together.