Table 1.
Insulin-sensitizing agent | Results of the study | Relevance to NAFLD | Ref. |
Metformin | Improvements in liver histology and ALT levels in 30% of patients with NASH | Appears to be beneficial for NAFLD patients but not for non-obese patients with early-stage NAFLD | Loomba et al[72] |
Pioglitazone | Improvement in the biochemical and histological features of NASH | Could be used as a treatment for NAFLD | Promrat et al[73] |
Pioglitazone | Improvement in insulin resistance but not in hepatic fibrosis and ALT levels | Not adapted to treat NAFLD | Sanyal et al[74] |
NASH: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; NAFLD: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; ATL: Alanine aminotransferase.