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REVIEW article

Front. Pediatr.

Sec. Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1675713

The Evolving Landscape of Pediatric Obesity and Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease: From Epidemiology to Future Therapeutics

Provisionally accepted
  • Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention, and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

The global rise in pediatric obesity has paralleled an alarming increase in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). MASLD in children represents a significant public health concern due to its potential progression to advanced liver disease and its association with a myriad of cardiometabolic comorbidities. This review elucidates the risk and consequences of pediatric MASLD in the population of children with obesity. It also identifies critical research gaps and outlines future directions for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of pediatric MASLD.

Keywords: Obesity, Childhood Obesity, MASLD, NAFLD, Fatty Liver, steatosis, pediatric, Pediatric Obesity

Received: 29 Jul 2025; Accepted: 13 Oct 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 R Putri. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Resthie R Putri, resthie.putri@ki.se

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