[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 86 (Friday, May 23, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1058-E1059]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL K. SIMPSON

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 2008

  Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to call attention to a 
potentially serious liver disease that affects a growing number of 
young people in our society and to commend an outstanding research 
program that the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and 
Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), a unit of the National Institutes of Health, 
is conducting to address it before it creates a major crisis for our 
population.
  I am referring to Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, NAFLD. While the 
name is unwieldy, the concerns are real. We are all aware of the 
growing epidemic of obesity in young people and the impact that this 
can have on increased incidence of diabetes, heart disease,

[[Page E1059]]

and stroke. However, few of us realize that obese children often have 
fat buildup in their livers. This can lead to cirrhosis, or scarring of 
the liver, and cause serious complications in adolescence or young 
adulthood.
  The Liver Disease Research Branch at NIDDK has built a national 
network of researchers focusing on Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, 
and they have assembled a database that includes information on more 
than 1,500 adults and children. In addition, this network is doing a 
study in children that is expected to determine by next year whether 
sustained treatment with either metformin or vitamin E improves the 
liver when compared to a placebo. The results will help determine 
treatment options for children with Fatty Liver Disease.
  This is an important disease for which NIH is doing exactly what we 
would hope--addressing a major health issue before it becomes a 
national crisis. This is yet another example of how our investment in 
this important agency today saves billions of dollars in future health 
care spending and prevents untold human suffering.
  Madam Speaker, this research is one of many examples underscoring the 
value of our investment in biomedical research at the National 
Institutes of Health, and I trust that, like me, my colleagues will 
recognize the positive impact these advancements will have on the 
health of our Nation.

                          ____________________