Background: The Intersection of Personal and Environmental Health
In the 21st century, we are facing two simultaneous crises: a global epidemic of metabolic diseases and an accelerating environmental collapse. For decades, clinicians and ecologists operated in separate spheres, but the emerging field of planetary health suggests that the health of the human body and the health of the Earth are inextricably linked. Nowhere is this more evident than in the rising prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).
MASLD, formerly known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is characterized by the accumulation of excess fat in the liver in the absence of significant alcohol consumption. It is now the most common chronic liver condition worldwide, affecting approximately 25% to 30% of the global population. Driven by sedentary lifestyles and the ‘Western diet’—high in processed sugars, saturated fats, and red meats—MASLD can progress to inflammation, cirrhosis, and even liver cancer.
