Dietary Composition Independent of Weight Loss in the Management of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
1
Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2X8, Canada
2
Cirrhosis Care Clinic and CEGIIR, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2X8, Canada
3
Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T6G 2X8, Canada
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Nutrients 2017, 9(8), 800; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9080800
Received: 23 June 2017 / Revised: 18 July 2017 / Accepted: 21 July 2017 / Published: 26 July 2017
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease)
Poor dietary composition is an important factor in the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The majority of NAFLD patients follow diets with overconsumption of simple carbohydrates, total and saturated fat, with reduced intake of dietary fiber and omega-3 rich foods. Although lifestyle modifications including weight loss and exercise remain the keystone of NAFLD management, modifying dietary composition with or without a calorie-restricted diet may also be a feasible and sustainable strategy for NAFLD treatment. In the present review article, we highlight the potential therapeutic role of a “high quality healthy diet” to improve hepatic steatosis and metabolic dysfunction in patients with NAFLD, independent of caloric restriction and weight loss. We provide a literature review evaluating the evidence behind dietary components including fiber-, meat- and omega-3-rich diets and, pending further evidence, we concur with the EASL-EASD-EASO Clinical Guidelines recommendation of the Mediterranean diet as the diet of choice in these patients.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Eslamparast, T.; Tandon, P.; Raman, M. Dietary Composition Independent of Weight Loss in the Management of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Nutrients 2017, 9, 800.
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