**3. Conclusion**

Recent studies have demonstrated that more advanced NAFLD, as indicated by the presence of NASH with advanced fibrosis stage, is strongly associated with low circulating DHEA-S. Although NASH patients with severe fibrosis are frequently observed in agedfemale patients, the precise mechanisms of this phenomenon remain to be resolved. Lower levels of serum DHEA in females compared to in males may contribute to the fibrosis progression of NASH. There are thus several potential mechanisms for DHEA deficiency to promote histological progression in NAFLD. DHEA deficiency presents an appealing new therapeutic target for the treatment and prevention of NASH. Since the association of NAFLD with endocrine diseases such as hypothyroidism (Liangpunsakul & Chalasani, 2003), adult growth hormone deficiency (Takahashi et al. 2007), and PCOS (Baranova et al. 2011) has recently been suggested, the pathogenesis of NASH should be explored in the view of anti-aging medicine or endocrinology (Loria et al.,2010).
