AdventHealth’s Karen D. Corbin, PhD, RD, Contributed to New American Diabetes Association Consensus Statement on Liver Disease in Diabetes

AdventHealth Translational Research Institute (TRI) investigator Karen D. Corbin, PhD, RD, served on a panel of leading experts from across the country who developed and recently released the first American Diabetes Association (ADA) consensus statement on liver disease in people with type 2 diabetes. Titled “Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) in People with Diabetes: The Need for Screening and Early Intervention. A Consensus Statement of the American Diabetes Association” it emphasized the need for screening and early intervention to slow disease progression and improve outcomes. The statement was published in the May 28, 2025, issue of the medical journal Diabetes Care.

MASLD, formerly referred to as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is a condition where there is a buildup of fat in the liver in people with diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol, who drink little to no alcohol. Affecting about 70% of people with type 2 diabetes, MASLD places them at increased risk for metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis (MASH), cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and overall liver-related mortality. It is also associated with extrahepatic cancers, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes.

“This new consensus statement is of critical importance as the number of people with MASLD is on the rise,” shares Dr. Corbin. “Many health care professionals have limited knowledge on how to best help people with diabetes who are at risk of liver disease, and our panel wanted to help bridge this knowledge gap.”

Approved by the ADA Professional Practice Committee (PPC) in March 2025, the consensus report calls for liver fibrosis screening and risk stratification for people with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, especially in the presence of obesity and other cardiometabolic risk factors. In addition to providing detailed guidance on early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of liver disease in people with diabetes or prediabetes, the document also details topics of special consideration, such as cirrhosis, liver cancer, alcohol intake, and the value of an interprofessional approach to disease management.

“MASLD is an area of particular interest to me, not only because of the complex pathophysiology, but also because we now have tools that are readily available to clinicians for early detection,” explains Dr. Corbin. “People with type 2 diabetes and certain ethnic groups are at high risk for disease and poor outcomes, and it is these populations that are often overlooked for screening. There is currently one medication on the market that is approved to treat MASLD. However, the new generation of obesity medications have strong evidence of improving liver health. This means that now, we not only have ways to detect those at risk, but viable care plans that include medications in addition to foundational treatments like nutrition and exercise.”

AdventHealth gastroenterologist and transplant hepatologist Torfay Roman, MD, serves as medical director for the program at AdventHealth Winter Park aimed at early detection and comprehensive treatment of people with MASLD. She believes the new ADA consensus statement provides important and timely guidance on a growing health care concern.

“This is a welcome and critical step in increasing awareness for a disease that was previously often missed or under-diagnosed in a vulnerable and high-risk population,” says Dr. Roman. “We now better understand the significant prevalence of MASL and MASH in people with diabetes and the long-term impact on mortality and overall prognosis. The last 15 years have shown us an exponential climb in MASH as a driver of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, with MASH now being the number one indication for liver transplant in the U.S. in females and number two indication overall. As such, early diagnosis and intervention will quite literally save lives.”

Learn more at the AdventHealth Research Institute website.