Mediterranean Diet and NAFLD: What We Know and Questions That Still Need to Be Answered

Programma Dipartimentale Diagnosi e Terapia delle Malattie Emergenti dell’Apparato Digerente, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genova, Italy

Divisione di Medicine Interna ed Epatologia, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center-IRCCS, 20089 Rozzano, Italy

⁴

Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Humanitas University, 20090 Pieve Emanuele, Italy

⁵

Area Medicina Interna, Gastroenterologia e Medicina Interna, Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 20123 Roma, Italy

⁶

Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV, no.6, 16132 Genoa, Italy

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

Maria Corina Plaz Torres and Alessio Aghemo share first authorship of the manuscript.

^‡

Luca Miele and Edoardo G. Giannini share last authorship of the manuscript.

Nutrients 2019, 11(12), 2971; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11122971

Received: 11 November 2019 / Revised: 28 November 2019 / Accepted: 30 November 2019 / Published: 5 December 2019

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Diet and Active Compounds on Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease)

View Full-Text Download PDF

Browse Figures

Citation Export

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome and is expected to become the leading cause of end-stage liver disease worldwide over the next few decades. In fact, NAFLD encompasses different clinical scenarios, from the simple accumulation of fat (steatosis) to steatohepatitis (NASH), NASH-cirrhosis, and cirrhosis complications. In this context, it is fundamental to pursue strategies aimed at both preventing the disease and reducing the progression of liver fibrosis once liver damage is already initiated. As of today, no pharmacological treatment has been approved for NAFLD/NASH, and the only recommended treatment of proven efficacy are life-style modifications, including diet and physical exercise pointing at weight loss of 5%–7%. Different dietetic approaches have been proposed in this setting, and in this review, we will discuss the evidence regarding the efficacy of the Mediterranean Diet as a treatment for NAFLD. In particular, we will report the effects on liver-related outcomes. View Full-Text

Keywords: nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; chronic liver disease; lifestyle intervention; diet; outcome

▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Plaz Torres, M.C.; Aghemo, A.; Lleo, A.; Bodini, G.; Furnari, M.; Marabotto, E.; Miele, L.; Giannini, E.G. Mediterranean Diet and NAFLD: What We Know and Questions That Still Need to Be Answered. Nutrients 2019, 11, 2971. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11122971

AMA Style

Plaz Torres MC, Aghemo A, Lleo A, Bodini G, Furnari M, Marabotto E, Miele L, Giannini EG. Mediterranean Diet and NAFLD: What We Know and Questions That Still Need to Be Answered. Nutrients. 2019; 11(12):2971. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11122971

Chicago/Turabian Style

Plaz Torres, Maria C., Alessio Aghemo, Ana Lleo, Giorgia Bodini, Manuele Furnari, Elisa Marabotto, Luca Miele, and Edoardo G. Giannini. 2019. "Mediterranean Diet and NAFLD: What We Know and Questions That Still Need to Be Answered" Nutrients 11, no. 12: 2971. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11122971

Find Other Styles

Note that from the first issue of 2016, MDPI journals use article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Abstract views Pdf views Html views

Article Menu

Mediterranean Diet and NAFLD: What We Know and Questions That Still Need to Be Answered

Abstract

Share and Cite

Article Metrics

Article Access Statistics

Article Access Map by Country/Region

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI