Plethora of evidences suggest that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is highly prevalent in postmenopausal women in comparison to premenopausal women or in men, this is mainly attributed to declining estrogen levels during menopause. These postmenopausal women usually present with characteristic hallmarks of metabolic syndrome associated with NAFLD such as weight gain, fat redistribution and dyslipidemia.

Furthermore, gut microbiota is known to play a vital role in development of gastrointestinal tract, metabolism and immunity.  A wide spectrum of pathways affecting healthy and diseased physiology is regulated by these host-microbe interactions. Recent advancements in microbiome, transcriptome and metabolome analysis, have established the crucial role of estrogens and intestinal microbiota in affecting obesity, inflammatory disease, diabetes, and cancers. Therefore, elucidating underlying mechanisms of estrogens and microbiota interactions could aid in dietary and pharmacological interventions for the management of metabolic syndrome and NAFLD.

Source: Chen KL, Madak-Erdogan Z. Estrogens and female liver health. Steroids. 2018 May;133:38-43