Gut–liver–muscle axis: linking gut microbiota dysbiosis to malnutrition and sarcopenia in liver disease

TL;DR

This paper reviews how gut microbiota imbalances contribute to malnutrition and muscle loss in liver disease through a gut-liver-muscle connection.

Contribution

It introduces the 'gut-liver-muscle axis' concept and explores microbiome interventions for improving nutrition in liver disease.

Findings

Gut dysbiosis promotes liver inflammation and metabolic issues.

This leads to weakened muscle energy and protein synthesis.

Microbiome interventions may improve nutritional outcomes in liver disease.

Abstract

Nutritional disorders and muscle wasting associated with liver disease are key determinants of poor prognosis in patients with chronic liver disease. The formation of these conditions involves multiple factors, including impaired energy metabolism, enhanced protein degradation, and gut microbiota imbalance. In recent years, with the deepening of microbiome research, the concept of the “gut-liver-muscle axis” has gradually emerged to explain the more systematic interaction between gut microbiota, liver metabolism, and skeletal muscle homeostasis. Gut dysbiosis can promote liver inflammation and metabolic disorders through various pathways, further weakening muscle energy utilization and protein synthesis, ultimately leading to malnutrition and sarcopenia. This review systematically explores the crucial role of gut microbiota in liver disease-related malnutrition and muscle wasting, elucidates its potential mechanisms in influencing host metabolism and nutritional status through the “gut-liver-muscle axis,” and discusses the prospects of microbiome interventions in improving nutritional outcomes in liver disease.

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