Understanding stress and liver health in Mexican-Origin adults with fatty liver disease
Official title: Acculturative stress and pro-inflammatory markers among Mexican-Origin adults with NAFLD
Funded at University of Arizona · NIH-11193289 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how stress related to adapting to a new culture might affect liver health in Mexican-Origin adults who have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Arizona NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tucson, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2024 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $191,875 |
| NIH project number | 5R21MD019331-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11193289 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are Mexican-Origin adults, 21 years or older, who have been diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or those outside the Mexican-Origin community may not directly benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
We want to understand why non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is more common and severe in Mexican-Origin adults. This project will explore if the stress of adapting to a new culture, called acculturative stress, is connected to inflammation in the body and how severe NAFLD becomes. We will gather information from 150 Mexican-Origin adults with NAFLD through surveys and by looking at markers of inflammation in their bodies. Our goal is to uncover the specific ways stress might contribute to liver problems in this community.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help us understand new ways to prevent or manage NAFLD in Mexican-Origin adults by addressing stress and inflammation.
How similar studies have gone: While acculturative stress has been linked to poor health behaviors and inflammation, its direct connection to NAFLD severity and specific inflammatory markers is a significant gap this project aims to address.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Arizona
Tucson, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Garcia, David O. — University of Arizona
- Study coordinator: Garcia, David O.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.