Mediterranean diet found to ameliorate symptoms of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

In this study, Greek researchers investigated the effects of the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) on the clinical, biochemical and inflammatory profile of patients with simple liver steatosis. Their results were published in the Journal of Medicinal Food.

• Diet is a modifiable key factor and target for the prevention or management of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
• To examine the potential associations between STAT3 rs2293152 genotype, diet composition and patient profile, the researchers conducted an open-label, 24-week prospective intervention study.
• They recruited 44 untreated NAFLD patients with non-significant fibrosis and gave them nutritional counseling to increase their adherence to the MedDiet, which was estimated using MedDietScore.
• They also genotyped STAT3 rs2293152 single nucleotide polymorphism and performed clinical and inflammatory measurements.
• The researchers reported that MedDietScore increased after counseling and anthropometric indices improved.
• Simultaneously, liver imaging, liver fibrosis score, blood pressure, fasting glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), C-reactive protein (CRP), visfatin and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels also significantly improved compared with baseline levels.
• The researchers found no connection between STAT3 polymorphism and diet composition.
• Upon comparing G- and C-carriers at the end of the intervention, they found that only visfatin is significantly associated with the STAT3 genotype.
• Carrying the G-allele was linked to increased visfatin levels. Consequently, STAT3 rs2293152 G-carriers experienced more beneficial changes after the intervention compared with baseline.

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that the Mediterranean diet can reduce clinical, biochemical and inflammatory biomarkers in NAFLD patients.

Journal Reference:

Kaliora AC, Gioxari A, Kalafati IP, Diolintzi A, Kokkinos A, Dedoussis GV. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MEDITERRANEAN DIET IN NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE CLINICAL COURSE: AN INTERVENTION STUDY. Journal of Medicinal Food. 10 July 2019;22(7):729–740. DOI: 10.1089/jmf.2018.0020