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Role of Nutrition in Preventing Liver Disease

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Abstract

Purposeof Review

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a leading cause of chronic liver disease, and data supporting different nutritional recommendations are varied in their methods and outcomes measures. We conducted a MEDLINE literature review to assess recent studies on the effects of diets and supplements on NAFLD.

Recent Findings

Current data support weight loss as a mechanism to halt or reverse progression of NAFLD, without a definitive answer yet on which type of diet is most effective. Research on supplements, macronutrients, and alterations of the microbiome is ongoing, and future findings may add tools that can alter the course of NAFLD.

Summary

Weight loss is currently the strongest tool to address NAFLD; howe ver, the specifics of which dietary intervention and nutritional supplements are most effective are an active area of research.

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Abbreviations

NAFLD:

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

ALT:

Alanine aminotransferase

MRS:

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy

CAP:

Controlled attenuation parameter

LS:

Liver stiffness

ELF:

Enhanced liver fibrosis

NAS:

NAFLD activity score

AST:

Aspartate aminotransferase

GGT:

Gamma-glutamyl transferase

RCT:

Randomized controlled trial

AASLD:

American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases

LCHF:

Low-carb high-fat diet

LFT:

Liver function test

CI:

Confidence interval

BMI:

Body mass index

IQR:

Interquartile range

ADF:

Alternate day fasting

kPA:

Kilopascals

CFU:

Colony forming units

NASH:

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

ASCVD:

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease

hsCRP:

High sensitivity C-reactive protein

HOMA-IR:

Homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Carly Schanock, MLIS, Education and Information Services Librarian at the Boston Alumni Medical Library of the Boston University for assisting with the MEDLINE search.

Funding

Dr. Mohanty is supported in part by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) grant 7R21MD01363.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Gastroenterology, Boston Medical Center, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, 85 E. Concord Street, 7th Floor Boston, Boston, MA, 02118, USA

    Madeleine G. Haff & Arpan Mohanty

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Correspondence to Arpan Mohanty.

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Conflict of Interest

Dr. Haff declares that she has no conflict of interest. Author AM has received grants from Gilead and the Kinetix Group and has served on an advisory board for Gilead. She is also the principal investigator on phase 3 clinical trials for Intercept, Inventiva, and NovoNordisk.

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Haff, M.G., Mohanty, A. Role of Nutrition in Preventing Liver Disease. Curr Hepatology Rep 22, 74–81 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11901-023-00602-x

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