Association of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease with the different types of dietary carbohydrates: a cross-sectional study

Maryam Afsharfar; Zahra Salimi; Bahareh Aminnezhad Kavkani; Soheila Shekari; Saheb Abbastorki; Nazanin Majidi; Maryam Gholamalizadeh; Alireza Mosavi Jarrahi; Azadeh Hajipour; Hanieh Shafaei; Saeid Doaei

doi:10.1007/s40200-023-01223-3

Association of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease with the different types of dietary carbohydrates: a cross-sectional study

J Diabetes Metab Disord. 2023 Jun 14;22(2):1139-1143. doi: 10.1007/s40200-023-01223-3. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nutrition School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.
² Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
³ Department of Nutrition, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
⁴ Department of Nutrition Faculty of Nutrition Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
⁵ Cancer Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁶ School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁷ School of Health, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
⁸ Guilan University of Medical Sciences Shahid Beheshti Nursing and Midwifery School of Rasht, Rasht, Iran.
⁹ Department of Community Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

PMID: 37975105
PMCID: PMC10638219 (available on 2024-06-14)
DOI: 10.1007/s40200-023-01223-3

Abstract

Background: Many factors like sedentary lifestyle, metabolic syndrome, and obesity are involved in the increased prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Dietary consumption of carbohydrates may has a role in the risk of NAFLD. This study aimed to investigate the association of NAFLD with the different types of dietary carbohydrates.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 4200 participants including 660 patients with NAFLD and 3540 helathy individuals without NAFLD ages 35 to 70 in sabzevar, Iran. Data on socio-deomgraphic status, anthropomrtric measurments, blood tests, and dietary intake of different types of dietary carbohydrates was collected.

Results: The patients with NAFLD had a significantly higher dietary intake of glucose (29.38 ± 18.29 vs. 27.42 ± 15.96 g/d, P = 0.01) and fructose (33.99 ± 20.19 vs. 31.95 ± 18.34 g/d, P = 0.01) compared to the healthy people. A positive association was observed between NAFLD with the total intake of carbohydrates after adjustment for age, sex, and BMI (OR: 1.001, CI 95%: 1-1.002, P = 0.04) The association remained significant after further adjustments for for education level, marital status, physical activity, smoking, and drinking alcohol (Model 2) and after additional adjustments for calorie intake (Model 3).

Conclusions: This study showed a positive association between total dietary carbohydrate and NAFLD. In particular, the amount of dietary of carbohydrates (regardless of the type of carbohydrate) may worsen NAFLD. Further longitudinal studies are warranted.

Keywords: Carbohydrate; Diet; Fatty liver.

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