{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,23]],"date-time":"2026-08-23T15:53:49Z","timestamp":1787500429382,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"24","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,12]],"date-time":"2025-12-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1765497600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100018532","name":"Major Scientific and Technological Innovation Project of Shandong Province","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["2023CXGC010707"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2023CXGC010707"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100018532","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Foods"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The global prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is 25%, and its onset is closely related to fatty acid metabolism disorders. With the rise of the concept of non-drug treatment, the intervention potential of unsaturated fatty acids (especially \u03c9-3\/\u03c9-6 fatty acids) has become a research hotspot, but the field\u2019s development trend has not been systematically evaluated. Based on bibliometric analysis, 4509 NAFLD fatty acid-related articles in the Web of Science core collection were retrieved, and CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used to analyze the country, institution, and author cooperation networks, and keyword evolution. The annual publication volume peaked in 2022 (316 articles). China led the research output, but the United States had a significant lead in influence. The key author cluster was centered on Sanyal Arun (USA) and Li Y (China); the University of California system and the French National Institute of Health were high-impact institutions. The research topic has shifted from pathological mechanisms (\u201cinsulin resistance\u201d and \u201coxidative stress\u201d) to clinical intervention (\u201c\u03c9-3 fatty acids\u201d and \u201cdouble-blind trials\u201d). The research on fatty acids in NAFLD has shifted from a stable period to a transitional period. The key words \u201c\u03c9-3 fatty acids\u201d, \u201cdouble-blind trials\u201d, and \u201cshort-chain fatty acids\u201d indicate that nutritional intervention has entered the evidence-based verification stage. Future research should explore the therapeutic potential of unsaturated fatty acids (e.g., \u03c9-6\/\u03c9-9 fatty acids) and specialty oils, such as Torreya grandis oil, as novel dietary interventions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/foods14244277","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,12]],"date-time":"2025-12-12T08:30:17Z","timestamp":1765528217000},"page":"4277","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Fatty Acids as Nutritional Therapy for NAFLD: A Bibliometric Analysis of Research Trends and Future Directions"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Zicheng","family":"Huang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China"},{"name":"Food Laboratory of Zhongyuan, Luohe 462300, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiangjun","family":"Zhan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6186-6882","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jun","family":"Jin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China"},{"name":"Food Laboratory of Zhongyuan, Luohe 462300, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xingguo","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China"},{"name":"Food Laboratory of Zhongyuan, Luohe 462300, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Qingzhe","family":"Jin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China"},{"name":"Food Laboratory of Zhongyuan, Luohe 462300, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"22","DOI":"10.1097\/TP.0000000000002484","article-title":"Epidemiology of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis: Implications for Liver Transplantation","volume":"103","author":"Younossi","year":"2019","journal-title":"Transplantation"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1007\/s12664-020-01018-x","article-title":"Epidemiology of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in Asia","volume":"39","author":"Wong","year":"2020","journal-title":"Indian. J. Gastroenterol."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"23","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cld.2017.08.007","article-title":"Pathophysiology of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease\/Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis","volume":"22","author":"Manne","year":"2018","journal-title":"Clin. Liver Dis."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"25","DOI":"10.1016\/j.arcmed.2020.11.010","article-title":"Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Diagnosis and Emerging Treatment of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease","volume":"52","author":"Makri","year":"2021","journal-title":"Arch. Med. Res."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"158","DOI":"10.1159\/000336669","article-title":"Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease\/steatohepatitis: Epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation and treatment","volume":"30","author":"Stimac","year":"2012","journal-title":"Dig. Dis."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8637","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-018-26882-8","article-title":"NNMT activation can contribute to the development of fatty liver disease by modulating the NAD + metabolism","volume":"8","author":"Komatsu","year":"2018","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"118231","DOI":"10.1016\/j.carbpol.2021.118231","article-title":"Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide modulates gut microbiota and immune cell function to inhibit inflammation and tumorigenesis in colon","volume":"267","author":"Guo","year":"2021","journal-title":"Carbohydr. Polym."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"110558","DOI":"10.1016\/j.abb.2025.110558","article-title":"Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: Mechanistic insights and emerging therapeutic strategies","volume":"772","author":"Zhang","year":"2025","journal-title":"Arch. Biochem. Biophys."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"115426","DOI":"10.1016\/j.celrep.2025.115426","article-title":"Macrophage-specific PHGDH protects against MAFLD by suppressing TAK1","volume":"44","author":"Hu","year":"2025","journal-title":"Cell Rep."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"eadn1150","DOI":"10.1126\/scitranslmed.adn1150","article-title":"HIVEP1 aggravates NASH by reprogramming polyamine metabolism in TH17 cells","volume":"17","author":"Ren","year":"2025","journal-title":"Sci. Transl. Med."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5832","DOI":"10.1038\/srep05832","article-title":"Association between serum free fatty acid levels and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A cross-sectional study","volume":"4","author":"Zhang","year":"2014","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1565","DOI":"10.1002\/hep.27695","article-title":"Altered hepatic gene expression in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with lower hepatic n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids","volume":"61","author":"Arendt","year":"2015","journal-title":"Hepatology"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Tian, A., Sun, Z., Zhang, M., Li, J., Pan, X., and Chen, P. (2023). Associations between dietary fatty acid patterns and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in typical dietary population: A UK biobank study. Front. Nutr., 10.","DOI":"10.3389\/fnut.2023.1117626"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"157","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jdiacomp.2014.10.005","article-title":"A biochemical view: Increase in polyunsaturated fatty acid \u03c9-6\/\u03c9-3 ratio in relation to hepatic steatosis in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease","volume":"29","author":"Sertoglu","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Diabetes Complicat."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"906","DOI":"10.1007\/s10620-020-06117-5","article-title":"Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Gut Microbiota: A Reciprocal Interaction in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease","volume":"65","author":"Shama","year":"2020","journal-title":"Dig. Dis. Sci."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1022","DOI":"10.12669\/pjms.334.12315","article-title":"The effect of omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs","volume":"33","author":"Yu","year":"2017","journal-title":"Pak. J. Med. Sci."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Wang, S., Jia, Q., Liu, X., Ma, Y., Yang, Y., Rong, X., Wang, Y., Wang, H., Liu, F., and Yang, S. (2025). Hyperoside modulates bile acid and fatty acid metabolism, presenting a potentially promising treatment for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. J. Adv. Res., in press.","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jare.2025.05.014"},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"104460","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fbio.2024.104460","article-title":"Ursolic acid suppresses fatty liver-associated hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating lipid metabolism","volume":"60","author":"Mingyan","year":"2024","journal-title":"Food Biosci."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zhong, D., Li, Y., Huang, Y., Hong, X., Li, J., and Jin, R. (2021). Molecular Mechanisms of Exercise on Cancer: A Bibliometrics Study and Visualization Analysis via CiteSpace. Front. Mol. Biosci., 8.","DOI":"10.3389\/fmolb.2021.797902"},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zhou, X., Kang, C.H., Hu, Y., and Wang, X. (2023). Study on insulin resistance and ischemic cerebrovascular disease: A bibliometric analysis via CiteSpace. Front. Public Health, 11.","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2023.1021378"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"392","DOI":"10.5195\/jmla.2022.1434","article-title":"VOSviewer and Bibliometrix","volume":"110","author":"Arruda","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Med. Libr. Assoc."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"523","DOI":"10.1007\/s11192-009-0146-3","article-title":"Software survey: VOSviewer, a computer program for bibliometric mapping","volume":"84","author":"Waltman","year":"2010","journal-title":"Scientometrics"},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1343","DOI":"10.1172\/JCI23621","article-title":"Sources of fatty acids stored in liver and secreted via lipoproteins in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease","volume":"115","author":"Donnelly","year":"2005","journal-title":"J. Clin. Investig."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1844","DOI":"10.2337\/diabetes.50.8.1844","article-title":"Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A feature of the metabolic syndrome","volume":"50","author":"Marchesini","year":"2001","journal-title":"Diabetes"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"679","DOI":"10.1002\/hep.23280","article-title":"Obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: Biochemical, metabolic, and clinical implications","volume":"51","author":"Fabbrini","year":"2010","journal-title":"Hepatology"},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"720","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhep.2014.10.039","article-title":"Molecular mechanism of PPAR\u03b1 action and its impact on lipid metabolism, inflammation and fibrosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease","volume":"62","author":"Pawlak","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Hepatol."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1081","DOI":"10.1002\/hep.21763","article-title":"A lipidomic analysis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease","volume":"46","author":"Puri","year":"2007","journal-title":"Hepatology"},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"31","DOI":"10.1016\/j.immuni.2021.12.013","article-title":"Inflammation in obesity, diabetes, and related disorders","volume":"55","author":"Rohm","year":"2022","journal-title":"Immunity"},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3313","DOI":"10.1007\/s00018-018-2860-6","article-title":"Molecular mechanisms of hepatic lipid accumulation in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease","volume":"75","author":"Ipsen","year":"2018","journal-title":"Cell Mol. Life Sci."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"261","DOI":"10.1038\/s41574-019-0156-z","article-title":"Gut microbial metabolites in obesity, NAFLD and T2DM","volume":"15","author":"Canfora","year":"2019","journal-title":"Nat. Rev. Endocrinol."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"829","DOI":"10.1172\/JCI34275","article-title":"Contribution of de novo fatty acid synthesis to hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance: Lessons from genetically engineered mice","volume":"118","author":"Postic","year":"2008","journal-title":"J. Clin. Investig."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"829","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhep.2017.05.016","article-title":"Treatment of NAFLD with diet, physical activity and exercise","volume":"67","author":"Trenell","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Hepatol."},{"key":"ref_33","first-page":"513","article-title":"Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease: A new clearer nomenclature with positive diagnostic criteria","volume":"83","author":"Lanthier","year":"2020","journal-title":"Acta Gastroenterol. Belg."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"364","DOI":"10.1007\/s00535-015-1050-7","article-title":"Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease\/nonalcoholic steatohepatitis","volume":"50","author":"Watanabe","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Gastroenterol."},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103335","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fbio.2023.103335","article-title":"The role of the gut-liver axis in modulating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease through dietary patterns and microecological agents","volume":"56","author":"Yucheng","year":"2023","journal-title":"Food Biosci."},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5250","DOI":"10.2174\/0929867326666190410121716","article-title":"Targeting n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease","volume":"27","author":"Valenzuela","year":"2020","journal-title":"Curr. Med. Chem."},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"908","DOI":"10.1038\/s41591-018-0104-9","article-title":"Mechanisms of NAFLD development and therapeutic strategies","volume":"24","author":"Friedman","year":"2018","journal-title":"Nat. Med."},{"key":"ref_38","first-page":"100935","article-title":"Omega-3 fatty acids and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: Evidence of efficacy and mechanism of action","volume":"80","author":"Scorletti","year":"2021","journal-title":"Mol. Asp. Med."},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"279","DOI":"10.1038\/s41575-020-0269-9","article-title":"Gut microbiota and human NAFLD: Disentangling microbial signatures from metabolic disorders","volume":"17","author":"Vigliotti","year":"2020","journal-title":"Nat. Rev. Gastroenterol. Hepatol."},{"key":"ref_40","first-page":"e9041","article-title":"Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials","volume":"96","author":"Guo","year":"2017","journal-title":"Medicine"},{"key":"ref_41","first-page":"46","article-title":"Modulatory effects of Torreya grandis seed oil on lipid metabolism and gut microbiota in high-fat diet fed rats","volume":"66","author":"Chen","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Agric. Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1358","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpeds.2015.01.056","article-title":"Omega-3 Fatty acids therapy in children with nonalcoholic Fatty liver disease: A randomized controlled trial","volume":"166","author":"Janczyk","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Pediatr."},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"994","DOI":"10.1017\/S0007114520000318","article-title":"Flaxseed oil in the context of a weight loss programme ameliorates fatty liver grade in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A randomised double-blind controlled trial","volume":"123","author":"Rezaei","year":"2020","journal-title":"Br. J. Nutr."}],"container-title":["Foods"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2304-8158\/14\/24\/4277\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,14]],"date-time":"2025-12-14T05:13:00Z","timestamp":1765689180000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2304-8158\/14\/24\/4277"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,12]]},"references-count":43,"journal-issue":{"issue":"24","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12]]}},"alternative-id":["foods14244277"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/foods14244277","relation":{},"ISSN":["2304-8158"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2304-8158","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,12]]}}}