Improvement in liver function after an intervention based on the Mediterranean diet in patients with non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

Abstract

respectively. OSA severity was evaluated through the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), and the disease was characterized as severe if AHI values were 30 episodes/hour of sleep. Results: The 86.7% of the patients were obese, while 92.3%, 100% and 98.5% had elevated WC, WHR and WHtR, respectively. A statistically significant positive correlation was observed between AHI and BMI, WC, WHR and WHtR (rho¼0.28, 0.49, 0.49 and 0.37, respectively, all P<0.05). Patients with severe OSA had significantly higher WC and WHR compared to those with mild or moderate disease (120.0±14.9 versus 111.5±12.4 cm, P¼0.05 and 0.99±0.09 versus 0.93±0.07, P¼0.02, respectively), while BMI and WHtR values did not differ between the two groups. Conclusions: Our findings confirm the involvement of obesity in OSA pathogenesis and suggest that WC and WHR may be better predictive markers for the disease severity compared to BMI.

Mediterranean Diet and Multi-Ingredient-Based Interventions for the Management of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

“…Researchers from the same group are conducting a larger parallel, multi-centre study known as MEDINA (Mediterranean Dietary Intervention study in Non-Alcoholic fatty liver disease) [ 50 ], although published results are not available at this moment. On the other hand, a recent clinical trial including 28 overweight and obese patients with ultrasonography-proven NAFLD and abnormal liver enzymes who were randomly assigned to a MedDiet or a control diet for 6 months showed that ALT levels were significantly decreased only in the MedDiet group and that AST levels tended to decrease in the MedDiet group [ 44 ]. This improvement in liver function was accompanied by greater weight loss in the MedDiet group compared to that in the control subjects.…”

An Overview of Dietary Interventions and Strategies to Optimize the Management of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

“…The Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR) for lipids is 20% to 35% of the daily diet in adults [ 18 ]. Trans and saturated fatty acids, as well as cholesterol, should be decreased to as low as possible and replaced with beneficial fat composition [ 19 ]. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), particularly Omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), have many protective effects when studied in patients with NAFLD [ 20 ].…”

“…This diet is characterized as low-carbohydrate (40% of calories) and in contrast to low-fat diets, the Mediterranean diet includes fat as 40% of the diet, emphasizing the intake of MUFAs, olive oil, nuts, vegetables, fruits, fish, poultry, and legumes [ 31 , 45 , 46 , 47 ]. The diet replaces saturated and trans fatty acids with MUFAs and PUFAs [ 19 ]. The Mediterranean diet decreases the intake of processed meat, red meat, and leans towards a more plant-based diet [ 19 , 23 , 31 , 45 , 46 , 47 ].…”

“…The diet replaces saturated and trans fatty acids with MUFAs and PUFAs [ 19 ]. The Mediterranean diet decreases the intake of processed meat, red meat, and leans towards a more plant-based diet [ 19 , 23 , 31 , 45 , 46 , 47 ]. The diet also promotes drinking red wine (source of resveratrol) in moderation [ 47 ].…”

“…An observational study with this dietary intervention for six months as NAFLD treatment demonstrated that the participants with the diet intervention showed significant improvement in BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, cholesterol, ALT, AST, triglycerides, blood glucose, hepatic steatosis, and significant overall reduction in NAFLD severity [ 45 ]. Another study showed weight loss and improved liver function in NAFLD patients who adhered to the Mediterranean diet [ 19 , 46 , 47 ]. These findings strengthen the Mediterranean diet as a valid approach to treat NAFLD.…”