Anna Hadjihambi on shaping much needed health policies for people living with chronic liver disease
Dr Anna Hadjihambi (King’s College London, UK)
“We don’t just tell people about the disease and its societal impact. We enable people to feel first-hand what it is like to live with MASLD,” says Anna Hadjihambi, about the immersive and interactive experience she exhibited at our Parliamentary event.
Anna explains that MASLD (Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease) is highly prevalent, yet it is often over-looked due to the stigma associated with liver disease and misconceptions about alcoholism being the cause of disease. Currently, it is an under-recognised public health challenge, that has major implications for healthy ageing, healthcare sustainability and economic participation.
“Parliamentarians need to understand the true picture of MASLD in order to shape the policy responses the country desperately needs.” Anna engaged with policymakers at our 150th anniversary celebration at the Houses of Parliament (London, UK) to develop health policies that could inform earlier prevention and intervention strategies, improve identification of individuals at risk of cognitive decline, and support healthy ageing and dementia prevention efforts.
Read the Q&A with Anna to learn more about her research and how it could inform earlier diagnosis and new strategies to support healthier ageing.
What is MASLD?
What if one of the biggest risk factors for dementia isn’t in the brain but in the liver? MASLD affects ~30% of the population and is one of the fastest-growing chronic diseases worldwide. While traditionally viewed as a liver disorder, MASLD is associated with cognitive impairment, poor mental health, accelerated ageing and increased risk of dementia.
How do you identify the link between the liver and brain function?
Our research investigates how MASLD alters the brain’s blood vessels, impairing oxygen delivery and waste clearance, and whether liver-brain signalling pathways can be therapeutically targeted. This is important because MASLD imposes a substantial socio-economic burden, costing Europe and the UK ~£30 billion annually.
By identifying pathways linking liver and brain function, our research may enable the development of non-invasive therapies to improve cerebrovascular and cognitive health.
How could your research inform new public health policies and clinical practice?
Our research generates evidence on how MASLD affects brain health. By combining mechanistic studies with analyses of large population-based cohorts, including the UK Biobank, we investigate pathways linking MASLD to cerebrovascular dysfunction, cognitive decline and accelerated brain ageing.
We investigate whether these changes can be prevented or reversed through lifestyle interventions or modulation of the liver-brain axis via the hepatic branch of the vagus nerve. For example, identifying whether MASLD-induced cerebrovascular damage persists despite resolution of liver disease, which could accelerate age-related vascular dysfunction and increase susceptibility to neurodegenerative diseases. This work could support the development of novel neuroprotective therapies, including non-invasive neuromodulation strategies, to prevent neurological complications and improve brain health in people with MASLD.
The findings will inform clinical practice by identifying individuals at greatest risk of cognitive impairment and provide evidence to support earlier identification, monitoring and intervention.
Our research will also inform public health and policy by clarifying the long-term neurological consequences of a highly prevalent disease that places a substantial burden on healthcare and social systems through direct medical costs and loss of productivity.
If you had five minutes with a policymaker, what would you want them to understand or do differently because of your research?
I want policymakers to recognise that MASLD is not only a liver disease but also a potential threat to brain health: one that is already a major socio-economic burden and could cost the economy billions. Traditionally considered asymptomatic until the later stages of disease, emerging evidence suggests that many working age patients experience under-recognised neurocognitive symptoms, including cognitive impairment, poor mental health and reduced quality of life.
My research suggests that fat accumulation in the liver, independent of obesity, may damage the brain’s blood vessels, contributing to cognitive decline and increasing vulnerability to neurodegenerative diseases. We do not yet know whether these brain changes are reversible once liver disease has resolved. If some effects prove persistent, this would represent a significant new public health emergency.
Dementia and cognitive impairment affect millions, placing a growing burden on individuals, society and healthcare systems. Despite decades of research, progress developing effective treatments has been limited. I would encourage policymakers to support earlier prevention strategies for MASLD and to invest in research exploring modifiable pathways that link liver and brain health. This could help inform prevention strategies and therapies, reducing the burgeoning toll of neurodegenerative disease on the economy and society.
Read the full Q&A with Anna about her exhibit, ‘Can Fatty Liver Affect Your Brain? Exploring the hidden connection between liver and brain health’. This is published in our Physiology Showcase booklet, where you can find out more about all the exhibitors who were part of our 150th celebration in the Houses of Parliament on 20 October 2026.