Thursday, June 8 was International #NASHDay 2023 and the podcast hosted a special session featuring patient advocates Gina Villiotti Madison, Marko Korenjak and Michael Betel. With co-hosts Louise Campbell and Roger Green, the group shares both a positive and sobering discussion around the Fatty Liver public health epidemic and its impact on younger generations now and into the imminent future.
In this conversation, the group focuses discussion around adolescent NAFLD/NASH. Roger begins by mentioning how the way his generation grew up involved ample time outdoors playing. He goes on to note two differences between then and now. First, the perception that outside areas are not as safe as they once were. Second, Roger underscores the rise of indoor video and online games that occupy the time and attention of children today. Roger asks whether and how we can reverse this trend, particularly when it involves different parents who might work 10 to 12 hours a day. Louise suggests this will be difficult because while outdoor play is no less safe than in past decades, social media has increased the fear that children are unsafe outdoors. After the group jokes about how the presence of wireless television remotes contributed to less active lifestyles, Roger comments on how news cycles operate in the US today.
Michael discusses the role of governments in improving information on food labelling. This leads Gina to note that as a mother, it was only recently that she realized the extent of the health challenges presented by the food her children were eating both at home and at school. She goes on to describe how and why NASH kNOWledge focuses so much attention on children. One idea is that educating children is an excellent way of transmitting information to the entire family. Gina cites the success of public service advertising on school education at getting children to talk with their parents about quitting smoking in past years. It’s her hope that we can achieve the same benefits regarding food and exercise. Tune into the subsequent conversations to listen to more comments around sugar intake.
This is a particularly important and moving episode that captures a range of topics pertinent to the patient perspective and, more broadly, stepping up to NASH. If you have questions or interest around the International #NASHDay 2023, we kindly ask that you submit reviews wherever you download our discussions. Alternatively, you can write to us directly at questions@SurfingNASH.com. We welcome all stories around how you and your community stepped up to NASH this year and look forward to broadening the discourse.
Stay Safe and Surf On!
This episode was generously sponsored by Madrigal Pharmaceuticals.
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pursuing novel therapeutics for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a liver disease with high unmet medical need. Madrigal’s lead candidate, resmetirom, is a once daily, oral, thyroid hormone receptor (THR)-β selective agonist designed to target key underlying causes of NASH in the liver. For more information, visit www.madrigalpharma.com.
