The relationship between the contents, metabolites, barrier and immune response of the gut and organs and function in the body are becoming well understood, albeit there are many nuances associated with this relationship yet to be quantified.

One area in which the dynamic interaction between the gut and a specific organ is rapidly rising up the knowledge tree is the ‘gut and liver axis’. In large part this is due to the increase in the prevalence of liver related inflammation, of which non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming a global problem. For with the global rise of obesity and the associated metabolic syndrome, there has been an equally alarming and related rise in the incidence of NAFLD and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) – the hepatic manifestations of the metabolic syndrome and the predominant chronic liver diseases worldwide[1]