Effects of oily fish and its fatty acid intake on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease development among South Korean adults

Abstract

BackgroundThe benefits of fish fatty acid intake for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are rarely reported, although a previous study assessed the relationship between oily fish consumption and the prevalence of NAFLD.AimsWe investigated whether oily fish and fish-based monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and omega-3 fatty acids affect the development of NAFLD in South Korean adults.MethodsIn this large-scale cohort study, 44,139 participants of the Health Examinees study were selected for analysis after 5 years of follow-up. NAFLD is diagnosed with a non-invasive index, the fatty liver index. Using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models, adjusted for age, body mass index, total energy intake, education, physical activity, smoking status, and drinking (alcohol) status, we calculated the hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals.ResultsFor men, NAFLD had no statistically significant associations with quartiles of total oily fish or its fatty acid intake. However, among women, an inverse association was observed (all p for trend <0.05). Regarding the standard deviation (SD) increment of total oily fish or its fatty acid intake by one, all fatty acids from oily fish showed inverse associations for NAFLD in both men and women. After stratified analyses, we found that drinking status and menopause status were independent risk factors for NAFLD. Oily fish or its fatty acid intake has the same benefit pattern on metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease as NAFLD.ConclusionOily fish and its fatty acid intake showed a preventative benefit for NAFLD and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease, especially in South Korean women.

Association of the habitual dietary intake with the fatty liver index and effect modification by metabotypes in the population-based KORA-Fit study

“…Especially the presence of heme–iron in red meat which has also been shown to unfavourably affect liver health [ 38 ] could be a possible explanation for this observation. While other studies reported conflicting results for egg consumption [ 39 , 40 ], regarding fish and dairy products even inverse relationships with fatty liver measurements were reported; these findings may be attributable to the content of long-chain omega-3-fatty acids in fish or probiotics and minerals like calcium present in dairy products [ 41 , 42 ]. These reports are partly in contrast to the findings of our study which showed unfavourable associations for all animal-based food items, except for dairy products.…”

Oily fish reduces the risk of acne by lowering fasting insulin levels: A Mendelian randomization study

“…Examples of oily fish include salmon, sardines, trout, Pacific saury, Spanish mackerel, fresh tuna, and herring (Kim et al., 2019 ). Extensive research conducted in the past has extensively examined the relationship between the intake of oily fish, its fatty acid composition, and various diseases or conditions, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (Tan & Shin, 2022 ), frailty (Del Brutto et al., 2020 ), cognitive performance (Del Brutto, Mera, Gillman, Zambrano, & Ha, 2016 ), cardiovascular disease (Mozaffarian & Wu, 2011 ), blood pressure levels (Del Brutto, Mera, Gillman, Castillo, et al., 2016 ), diffuse subcortical damage of vascular origin (Del Brutto et al., 2022 ), and diabetic retinopathy (Mayor, 2016 ). In addition, a study has demonstrated that regular consumption of more than six servings of oily fish per week reduces the risk of all‐cause mortality in middle‐aged and older adults with Amerindian ancestry (Del Brutto et al., 2023 ).…”