Read the population qualifier
EASL recommends dietary and behavioural weight loss for adults with MASLD and overweight and gives ranges associated with improvements in liver fat, inflammation and fibrosis [1]. The words 'with overweight' are not optional editorial detail.
A website should not copy the percentages onto every MASLD page as though every reader needs to lose that amount.
Sources for this section: [1] EASL–EASD–EASO Clinical Practice Guidelines on MASLD
Normal-weight MASLD exists
The same guideline addresses normal-weight adults separately and recommends diet and exercise interventions to reduce liver fat [1]. NIDDK also makes clear that diagnosis relies on medical assessment rather than body size alone [2].
This prevents a harmful simplification in which a normal-weight reader is told the condition cannot apply to them or is pushed toward unnecessary weight loss.
Sources for this section: [1] EASL–EASD–EASO Clinical Practice Guidelines on MASLD · [2] Diagnosis of NAFLD & NASH
What recipes can support
Recipes can provide satisfying portions, fibre-rich foods, unsaturated fats and lower-added-sugar choices that fit a high-quality diet. They can display energy and nutrient information transparently where available.
They should not calculate a personal calorie deficit or target weight. Those decisions can depend on medications, diabetes care, age, body composition and other clinical factors.
Sources for this section: [1] EASL–EASD–EASO Clinical Practice Guidelines on MASLD · [2] Diagnosis of NAFLD & NASH
Avoid rapid-loss or shame framing
Weight-focused health publishing can easily become moralising. The guideline is a treatment recommendation in a defined population, not a judgement about effort or worth.
The public copy should state the evidence precisely and return quickly to the project’s actual competence: making nutritious meals practical to cook and repeat.
Sources for this section: [1] EASL–EASD–EASO Clinical Practice Guidelines on MASLD
Sources
- EASL–EASD–EASO Clinical Practice Guidelines on MASLD
European Association for the Study of the Liver, European Association for the Study of Diabetes, European Association for the Study of Obesity. Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease. 2024. Verified 1 Sept 2026. - Diagnosis of NAFLD & NASH
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Diagnosis of NAFLD & NASH (also referred to as MASLD/MASH). Verified 1 Sept 2026.
