The association between vitamin D status and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in adults: a hospital-based study

Abstract

Background: The association between vitamin D levels and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been increasingly determined in recent researches. The aim of this study was to determine the association between vitamin D levels, measured as serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) and NAFLD. Serum 25(OH)D was prospectively determined in 80 patients. Of them, 40 subjects had NAFLD, whereas 40 subjects served as healthy control. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as serum 25(OH)D level < 20 ng/ml. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and regression analysis methods were used in our analysis. Results: About 70% of patients with NAFLD had vitamin D deficiency, but only 35% in the control group had. The mean serum 25 (OH)D was significantly lower in patients with NAFLD than the healthy control group (16.13 ± 10.23 versus 27.35 ± 10.58 ng/mL; P < 0.001). ROC curve analysis revealed that serum 25(OH)D level of less than 11.2 ng/ml increases the risk of NAFLD with 45% sensitivity and 97.5% specificity (Serum 25(OH)D level ≤ 18.1 ng/ml in males and ≤ 9.4 ng/ml in females increase the risk of NAFLD). Multivariate regression analysis showed that vitamin D deficiency, high age, and high BMI were associated with a significant high risk of NAFLD. Conclusion: NAFLD patients have low serum vitamin D concentrations, suggesting that vitamin D may have a role in the development of NAFLD. Future studies are recommended to determine the important therapeutic implications of vitamin D for the prophylaxis or the treatment of NAFLD.

Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver and Vitamin D Levels in Extremely Obese Individuals: A Case–Control Study

“…A higher cutoff point ≤40 had 77.17% sensitivity and 89.36% specificity of predicting NAFLD, AUC 0.749 and p < 0.000 in a previous study [27]. Another recent study revealed a much lower cutoff point, where serum 25(OH)D level of <11.2 ng/ml increases the risk of NAFLD with 45% sensitivity and 97.5% specificity [26].…”

“…Theories include the lack Vitamin D anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic effect on hepatic stellate cells. As Vitamin D decreases peripheral and hepatic insulin resistance induced by free fatty acids, VDD could be associated with increased accumulation of lipids in the liver and hence NAFLD development [26].…”

Vitamin D Review: The Low Hanging Fruit for Human Health

“…The potent immunosuppressive effects of 1,25(OH) D 3 indicate its function in preventing preeclampsia in pregnancy [ 4 ]. Researchers postulated that, as a result of such events in utero environment, foetal programming induces specific genes and genomic pathways that control foetal development and subsequent disease risk [ 5 ]. Therefore, prenatal vitamin D deficiency may not only affect maternal skeletal preservation and foetal skeletal formation but also influence foetal “imprinting” that may affect chronic disease susceptibility postnatally [ 3 ].…”

Коморбідність За Цукрового Діабету 1-Го Та 2-Го Типу. Вітамін D У Системі Моніторингу

“…Кроме того, выявлены корреляции между снижением 25(ОН)D сыворотки крови и повышением индекса массы тела (ИМТ), увеличением окружности талии, отношения окружности талии к окружности бедер, повышением уровня триглицеридов [11,12]. Имеются данные, что витамин D может контролировать артериальное давление через регулирующее влияние на ренин-ангиотензин-альдостероновую систему [13], улучшать состояние сердечно-сосудистой системы [14], снижать активность аутоиммунных процессов в организме [15], ингибировать прогрессирование неалкогольной жировой болезни печени [16]. Установлены ассоциативные связи между низким уровнем витамина D и риском онкопатологии [17].…”