A recent study (J Ma et al. Gastroenterol 2018; 155: 107-17) shows that a “better diet” was associated with less liver fat.

Among the 1521 participants form a Framingham Heart Study cohort (Mean age 51 years at start of study), the authors assessed diet with a 125-item Harvard food frequency questionnaire and liver fat using liver-phantom ratio (LPR) on CT images between 2002-2005 and then again 2008-2011.  They specifically looked at 2 diet scores:

• Mediterranean-style diet score (MDS)
• Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI)

Key findings:

• For each 1 standard deviation increase in MDS, the LPR increased (less liver fat) by 0.57 and the odds for incident fatty liver decreased by 26% (P=.002)
• Similarly, for each 1 standard deviation increase in AHEI, LPR increased by 0.56 and the odds for incident fatty liver decreased by 21% (P=.02)

My take: This study shows that Improved diet quality over 6 years was associated with reduced liver fat accumulation

Related posts:

• Proof that diet change improves fatty liver
• Six years later -Mediterranean diet comes out on top
• Heart-healthy Mediterranean Diet
• When Will MRI Obviate the Need for a Liver Biopsy in Pediatric NAFLD?
• Concise Review: Fatty Liver in Pediatrics
• Reaching Consensus on Bariatric Intervention in Children and Adolescents

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