India, Nov. 25 -- A health condition many Americans have never heard of is now one of the most common liver diseases in the country. Metabolically-dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, or MASLD, affects millions, yet most people do not realize they have it because it develops quietly.

Dr. Leana Wen, CNN wellness expert and emergency physician, explains that the disease develops when excess fat builds up in the liver in people with underlying metabolic issues. "MASLD happens when too much fat builds up in the liver of people who often have underlying metabolic problems, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. It is not caused by heavy alcohol use." The condition was previously known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD.

E...