Food Network Analysis in Non-Obese Patients with or without Steatosis

Abstract

Background: Steatosis is the most common liver disease worldwide and the leading cause of liver-associated morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to explore the differences in blood parameters and dietary habits in non-obese patients with and without steatosis. Methods: The present study included 987 participants with BMI < 30, assessed in the fourth recall of the MICOL study. Patients were divided by steatosis grade, and a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) with 28 food groups was administered. Results: The prevalence of non-obese participants with steatosis was 42.86%. Overall, the results indicated many statistically significant blood parameters and dietary habits. Analysis of dietary habits revealed that non-obese people with or without steatosis had similar dietary habits, although higher daily amounts of red meat, processed meat, ready meals, and alcohol were recorded in participants with liver disease (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Many differences were found in non-obese people with and without steatosis, but in light of a network analysis, the two groups demonstrated similar dietary habits, proving that pathophysiological, genetic, and hormonal patterns are probably the basis of their liver status, regardless of weight. Future genetic analyses will be performed to analyze the expression of genes involved in the development of steatosis in our cohort.

Effects of Egg Consumption on Subjects with SLD or Hypertension: A MICOL Study

“…For this reason, consuming a dish with mixed vegetables and eggs has a different effect on serum cholesterol concentrations than a low-fiber dish such as eggs and bacon. Mokhtari et al [26] used this argument to explain how consumption of more than four eggs per week was not significantly associated with the risk of SLD [43]. Our study population is linked to food traditions within the Mediterranean dietary pattern.…”

“…Some studies have shown that a higher cholesterol consumption is associated with SLD and its exacerbation to NASH [35,36]. Baumgartner et al [26] has shown that daily egg consumption increases serum cholesterol and LDL-C concentrations in women [37] On the contrary, some randomized controlled trials observed that egg intake did not substantially change plasma TC, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL-C levels [38,39] or the TC/HDL-C ratio [39,40].…”

“…Very few studies have analyzed the relationship between egg consumption and the risk of diseases, in particular SLD, and the results are inconsistent [26,27].…”

Age-Related Dietary Habits and Blood Biochemical Parameters in Patients with and without Steatosis—MICOL Cohort

“…Methodological details of this population-based study have been previously published [ 18 , 19 ]. For this study (called MICOL IV), recall of MICOL III patients was adopted [ 20 ].…”

“…To evaluate dietary habits, a validated food frequency questionnaire was administered during the visit, and each food (86 validated foods) was converted to mean daily intake in grams; the total was summarized in 28 food groups [ 20 ] established according to similarity type [ 24 ].…”