People with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) -- a build-up of fat cells in the liver - run a higher risk of dementia, according to a new study published in the journal Neurology. NAFLD is the most common liver disease, affecting approximately 25 per cent of the world's population.

Being largely asymptomatic, the disease may progress from the accumulation of fat in liver cells to liver inflammation and liver cirrhosis. While excessive alcohol use can cause fatty liver, NAFLD can be caused by obesity and related conditions like high blood pressure or Type 2 diabetes. The study showed that people with NAFLD who also have heart disease or who have had a stroke may have an even higher risk of dementia when compared to people without liver disease, people with NAFLD had a 38 per cent higher rate of dementia overall.