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Thyroid hormones are totally involved in the regulation of body weight, lipid metabolism, and insulin resistance. Therefore it is anticipated that thyroid hormones may have a role in the pathogenesis of non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). In this study, we reviewed the current literature on the association between thyroid dysfunction and NAFLD/NASH. A search for English language medical literature reporting an association between thyroid dysfunction and NAFLD/NASH in humans was conducted across PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and Scopus in August, 2013. Out of 140 studies initially identified through the search, 11 relevant articles were included in the final review. Thyroid dysfunctions in the form of overt or subclinical hypothyroidism are prevalent among patients with NAFLD/NASH. Hypothyroidism appears to be an independent risk factor for NAFLD/NASH in some studies; however, other newly published studies failed to find such an association. The results of the studies on the role of thyroid abnormalities in NAFLD/NASH are inconsistent, and further research is recommended to determine the relationship between hypothyroidism and NAFLD/NASH and the underlying mechanisms.

The prevalence of H. pylori in EMRO countries is still high in the healthy asymptomatic population. Strategies to improve sanitary facilities, educational status, and socioeconomic status should be implemented to minimize H. pylori infection.

This study aimed to determine the relation between Helicobacter pylori infection and insulin resistance in healthy subjects. In a cross-sectional case control study between January and April 2007, a total of 71 healthy subjects without the exclusion criteria completed the study. Forty-three (60.6%) patients were H. pylori positive and 28 (39.4%) patients were H. pylori negative. Age and body mass index of the patients were not significantly different between the two groups (32.2 +/- 14.2 vs. 33 +/- 8.05 years and 23.15 +/- 4.5 vs. 24.04 +/- 3.2 kg/m(2), respectively). H-pylori-positive patients had significantly higher HOMA-IR level compared to H-pylori-negative patients (3.54 +/- 2.2 vs. 2.46 +/- 1.9, respectively) (P < 0.05). Fasting serum insulin level was significantly higher in the H-pylori-positive group compared with the H-pylori-negative group (19.41 +/- 3.08 vs. 16.57 +/- 2.02 microU/ml, respectively) (P < 0.05). Our findings suggest recognition of H. pylori infection as a risk factor for insulin resistance.