NEW YORK

Aybuke Fatma Sapmaz, a young Turkish woman doctor, has been elected as an associate member of Sigma Xi, a US-based scientific research society, for her work in the field of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

The disease, also known as NAFLD, is a liver problem that affects people who consume little to no alcohol. It involves the accumulation of excessive fat in the liver and is frequently observed in individuals who are overweight or obese.

The highest rates of NAFLD have been reported in the Middle East (32%) and South America (31%).

"I am both very happy and proud to have gained the right to become a member of Sigma Xi, one of the most prestigious scientific organizations in the world," Sapmaz, 30, a graduate of the School of Medicine at Marmara University in Istanbul, told Anadolu.

NAFLD has rapidly become the most common liver disease globally and is currently estimated to affect 38% of the global population.

More than 200 Nobel Prize winners have been members of Sigma Xi, which was founded in 1886 to honor excellence in scientific investigation.

Sigma Xi has nearly 60,000 members in over 500 chapters in the US, Canada and other countries, including Switzerland, Thailand, Lebanon, New Zealand and Australia, according to its website.

*Writing by Servet Gunerigok