Patients

Patients enrolled were previously diagnosed with type 2 diabetes according to the diagnostic criteria of the Japan Diabetes Society (JDS) with ALT levels >30 IU/L, which is the cut-off level used to screen for NAFLD (7,8). Patients with a current daily alcohol intake of >20 g or with known liver disease of other aetiology were excluded. Following confirmation of eligibility, receipt of informed consent and screening procedures, eligible patients were administered alogliptin and followed up over a 1-year period. NAFLD was defined according to characteristic ultrasonographic findings, such as increased hepatorenal contrast or enhanced liver brightness (9). All the patients provided written consent to participate in the study. The protocols used were approved by the Ethics Committee of Nara Medical University (Nara, Japan; UMIN000008068) and other facilities.