Fruit-based diet reveals potential adverse effects on fatty liver

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition in which fat accumulates in the liver due to lifestyle disorders such as eating habits and lack of exercise, visceral obesity, stress, etc., and risks liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. I will raise it. A seemingly healthy 'fruit-based diet' could have a negative impact on NAFLD, a research team at Urmia Medical College in Iran said.

The effect of a fruit-rich diet on liver biomarkers, insulin resistance, and lipid profile in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a randomized clinical trial --PubMed
https://doi.org/10.1080/00365521.2022.2071109

NAFLD refers to the accumulation of fat in more than 5% of the cells of the liver, despite low alcohol intake. NAFLD can cause diseases such as hepatitis, liver fibrosis, and cirrhosis. The mortality rate from NAFLD has risen in recent years, and according to a study published in 2019, it has been ranked in the top 10 most common causes of death in the world.

A diet that reviews daily diets is effective in treating NAFLD. Specifically, it reduces saturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids, carbohydrates, sweet drinks, fructose, etc. from the diet and increases the intake of protein, carotene, and anthocyanin, making it a diet centered on fruits and vegetables rather than meat and carbohydrates. It is important to switch.

Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals, and some vitamins and active compounds in vegetables have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which have been shown to have a positive effect on NAFLD. And that. However, a study published in 2017 found that `` vegetable consumption was inversely correlated with NAFLD prevalence, but fruit consumption was positively correlated with NAFLD prevalence. I argue. In other words, it was shown that fruits may be exacerbating NAFLD.

Therefore, a research team at Urumia Medical University divided 66 patients aged 18 years and older diagnosed with NAFLD at a university hospital in Iran into two groups, one group (FRD group) with at least four servings of fruit per day. Ingested, the other group (control group) was given less than two servings of fruit per day. The experiment was conducted from October 2020 to March 2021 and was checked by blood tests performed before and after the experiment.

As a result, the FRD group showed significantly higher values than the control group in BMI, waist circumference (WC), ALT , ALP , AST , γGTP , LDL cholesterol , insulin resistance, and blood glucose level. From this, the research team states that a fruit-based diet has been shown to worsen fatty liver and glycemic control in NAFLD patients.

The researchers speculate that fructose , the lipid-producing effect of fructose, may increase the fat content of stem cells, but 'identifies the underlying mechanism by which fruits adversely affect NAFLD. Needs more research. '