Association of Dietary Patterns with MRI Markers of Hepatic Inflammation and Fibrosis in the MAST4HEALTH Study

Abstract

Whereas the etiology of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is complex, the role of nutrition as a causing and preventive factor is not fully explored. The aim of this study is to associate dietary patterns with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters in a European population (Greece, Italy, and Serbia) affected by NAFLD. For the first time, iron-corrected T1 (cT1), proton density fat fraction (PDFF), and the liver inflammation fibrosis score (LIF) were examined in relation to diet. A total of 97 obese patients with NAFLD from the MAST4HEALTH study were included in the analysis. A validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to assess the quality of diet and food combinations. Other variables investigated include anthropometric measurements, total type 2 diabetes risk, physical activity level (PAL), and smoking status. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to identify dietary patterns. Six dietary patterns were identified, namely “High-Sugar”, “Prudent”, “Western”, “High-Fat and Salt”, “Plant-Based”, and “Low-Fat Dairy and Poultry”. The “Western” pattern was positively associated with cT1 in the unadjusted model (beta: 0.020, p-value: 0.025) and even after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), PAL, smoking, the center of the study, and the other five dietary patterns (beta: 0.024, p-value: 0.020). On the contrary, compared with low-intake patients, those with medium intake of the “Low-Fat Dairy and Poultry” pattern were associated with lower values of cT1, PDFF, and LIF. However, patients with a “Low-Fat Dairy and Poultry” dietary pattern were negatively associated with MRI parameters (cT1: beta: −0.052, p-value: 0.046, PDFF: beta: −0.448, p-value: 0.030, LIF: beta: −0.408, p-value: 0.025). Our findings indicate several associations between MRI parameters and dietary patterns in NAFLD patients, highlighting the importance of diet in NAFLD.

Association between Dietary Patterns and Metabolic Syndrome Risk Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study of Christian Orthodox Church Fasters and Non-Fasters in Greece

“…Elevated body weight, body fat, waist circumference, and BMI were positively correlated with the “Western-type” and the “animal meat and sauces” dietary patterns, whereas increased HDL levels and high physical activity scores were positively associated with the “Mediterranean-like diet” in another study with 146 Greek adults [ 49 ]. Furthermore, in the MAST4HEALTH study, an increased adherence was found in the “Western” and the “Plant-based” patterns among Greek participants, similar to our study [ 50 ]. Notably, in a secondary analysis of data collected form the ATTICA study, it was shown that Greeks were gradually deviating from the traditional Mediterranean diet pattern towards a Western-type dietary pattern [ 51 ].…”

Plasma Amino Acids in NAFLD Patients with Obesity Are Associated with Steatosis and Fibrosis: Results from the MAST4HEALTH Study

“…Physical activity level (PAL) was measured using the international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) [18], and metabolic equivalent task minutes per week (MET-min/week) was calculated using the IPAQ scoring system. Interviewers classified participants as smokers or nonsmokers based on their smoking status [19]. Body weight, height and waist circumference were measured, and body mass index (BMI) was computed by dividing weight (kg) by height (m) 2 .…”

Plasma Amino Acids in NAFLD Patients With Obesity Are Associated With Steatosis and Fibrosis; Results From the MAST4HEALTH Study

“…Physical activity level (PAL) was measured using the international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) (46), and metabolic equivalent task minutes per week (MET-min/week) was calculated using the IPAQ scoring system. Interviewers classified participants as smokers or nonsmokers based on their smoking status (47). Body weight, height and waist circumference were measured, and body mass index (BMI) was computed by dividing weight (kg) by height (m)2.…”