The longitudinal associations between sweet potato intake and the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: the TCLSIH cohort study

Effects of Foods of Mesoamerican Origin in Adipose Tissue and Liver-Related Metabolism

“…Yang et al in 2022 reported results of the longitudinal association (follow-up from 2013 to 2019) between sweet potato intake and the risk of developing MAFLD in the adult general population. The results showed that intake of this tuber is inversely proportional to the risk of MAFLD in males [64]. The authors suggest that such protection is due to mechanisms previously described by other authors such as that sweet potato intake improves glucose and lipid metabolism, which decreases liver damage generated by oxidative stress and inflammation [72,73].…”

“…Sweet potato (Ipomoea batata L.; Lam.) belongs to the Convolvulaceae family, its hepatoprotective, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antitumor, antimicrobial, antiobesity, and other activities have been described [59][60][61][62][63][64]. Among the nutritional components of the sweet potato tuber are dietary fiber, proteins, starch, iron, potassium, manganese, copper, B complex vitamins, vitamin E, vitamin C; as well as other bioactive compounds such as anthocyanins, phenolic acids, carotenoids, coumarins, and flavonoids (including myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol, apigenin, and luteolin) (Table 1) [59,64,65].…”

“…belongs to the Convolvulaceae family, its hepatoprotective, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antitumor, antimicrobial, antiobesity, and other activities have been described [59][60][61][62][63][64]. Among the nutritional components of the sweet potato tuber are dietary fiber, proteins, starch, iron, potassium, manganese, copper, B complex vitamins, vitamin E, vitamin C; as well as other bioactive compounds such as anthocyanins, phenolic acids, carotenoids, coumarins, and flavonoids (including myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol, apigenin, and luteolin) (Table 1) [59,64,65]. There are different varieties whose characteristic is the color of their skin; the varieties with light colors have high concentrations of phenolic compounds (i.e., hydroxycinnamic acids), while more intense yellow colors are related to the content of β-carotene, and finally the purple ones are rich in anthocyanins with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects [59,63,65].…”

“…Table 2 below shows a compilation of preclinical and clinical trials using cocoa, nopal, chili, corn, black bean, or sweet potato supplementation as treatment in pathological conditions related to liver and fat tissue metabolism. Yang et al [64] As a meal replacement, 132 g of sweet potato per day was included in the diet of overweight workers for 8 weeks.…”

Plant-based diets, genetic predisposition and risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

“…Plant-based diet patterns nowadays are gaining attention as their environmental sustainability benefits [ 5 ], and diet patterns characterized by high consumption of healthy plant-based foods were associated with lower NAFLD prevalence and liver fat content [ 6 , 7 ]. However, not all plant-based foods were beneficial to NAFLD, as less nutrient-dense plant foods, including refined grains, fruit juices, and sugar-sweetened beverages, are associated with higher NAFLD risk [ 8 – 10 ]. To distinguish the plant-based diets with different quality, previous studies have developed three plant-based diet indices (PDIs), an overall plant-based diet index (PDI), which emphasizes the intake of all plant foods; a healthful plant-based diet index (hPDI), which emphasizes higher consumption of healthful plant-based foods such as whole grains, vegetables, nuts, legumes, coffee, and tea; and an unhealthful plant-based index (uPDI), which highlights the consumption of less healthful plant-based foods associated with increased risks of several chronic diseases [ 11 ].…”