A method for reducing the likelihood of developing
liver cancer in an individual diagnosed with non-
alcoholic fatty liver disease involves providing in the gut of an individual a
population of
beneficial bacteria selected from the group consisting of
Lactobacillus species, and administering
fiber to the individual to maintain a therapeutically effective amount of the
beneficial bacteria in the gut of the individual. In certain embodiments, monoacylglycerolacyltransferase-3 (MGAT3) synthesis is inhibited to lower triacylglycerol (TAG) production, while in others, expression of diacylglycerolacyltransferase-2 (DGAT-2) is inhibited. The
beneficial bacteria are preferably modified to produce increased amounts of
butyrate and may also be encapsulated in a frangible
enclosure. Levels of
Roseburia are preferably increased while the levels of
Akkermansia spp. in the individual's
gut microbiome are reduced. In other embodiments, a therapeutically effective amount of a bacterial formulation comprising
Faecalibacterium prausnitzii is administered, or a composition comprising modified L. reuteri
bacteria having the ability to survive conditions in the
duodenum or
jejunum of the individual's
small intestine. Other embodiments include the administration of a bacterial formulation comprising at least one of Coprococcus, Veillonella,
Roseburia,
Bifidobacterium,
Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and
Prevotella.