Is Fatty Liver Contageous?

Is Fatty Liver Contageous?

From Dr. Joe Galati Podcast by Dr Joe Galati

February 20, 2026 · 14 min · Season 11 · Episode 6

About this episode

The episode explores the public health crisis of fatty liver disease with insights from guest Natalie Oliver.

During a recent, compelling episode of our popular weekly broadcast on iHeartRadio, we dedicated a critical segment to exploring the growing public health crisis of fatty liver disease. We were honored to host Natalie Oliver, a distinguished Physician Assistant from our liver disease practice, Liver Specialists of Texas , as our special guest. Fatty liver disease, officially known as Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD, formerly NAFLD/MAFLD), has emerged as an exceptionally prevalent and concerning health issue impacting millions. Natalie brought a fresh and thought-provoking perspective to the discussion, suggesting that perhaps we should begin to perceive fatty liver disease through the lens of a "contagious" condition. To be absolutely clear, we are not implying that fatty liver disease is contagious in the conventional sense of an infectious illness, like the flu or measles, which are spread by viruses or bacteria. Rather, Natalie highlighted a profound observation: in households where one individual has been diagnosed with fatty liver disease, there is a remarkably high incidence of other family members, including spouses and children, also…

People in this episode

Host: Dr Joe Galati

Guest: Natalie Oliver

Topics covered

  • fatty liver disease
  • public health crisis
  • lifestyle habits
  • obesogenic environment
  • Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease

Keywords

  • fatty liver disease
  • MASLD
  • NAFLD
  • health crisis
  • lifestyle habits
  • obesity
  • contagious condition

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Liver Specialists of Texas

Books & works: Is Fatty Liver Contageous?

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