Sleep Apnea Takes Another Victim: The Liver

The Link Between Sleep Apnea And Liver Disease

The Bern research involved studies of normal mice kept in a low oxygen environment for seven days; the control group was kept in a normal oxygen environment. After seven days, the mice in the low oxygen atmosphere showed pronounced fat deposits and inflammation in the livers. These effects were not observed in the normal oxygen group.

Also observed were the genes of the low oxygen group. The genes responsible for fat synthesis were shown to be highly active, while the genes responsible for fat breakdown showed reduced activity.

The third observation of the low oxygen group was that the mice were less sensitive to insulin than the control group."