Figure 1.

Clinical link between obesity and metabolic disorders with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Obesity and associated metabolic disorders such as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) seem to negatively influence the course of IBD. For example, visceral adiposity is associated with risk for flares in ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD),³⁸ and steatotic liver disease serves as an independent risk factor for the development of CD.⁵¹ In turn, the diagnosis of IBD increases the risk of developing MASLD and liver fibrosis when compared with the general population.⁴⁸ Moreover, the treatment with antidiabetic agents with proven effects in metabolic diseases seems to reduce the risk for developing IBD⁶⁴ and disease burden in patients with IBD.⁶⁵