Association of the dietary patterns with the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease among Iranian population: a case-control study

BACKGROUND: Diet-based recommendations can be developed for preventing and treating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) after investigating the effects of whole diets on NAFLD. The aim of this study was to identify major dietary patterns and their association with the risk of NAFLD. METHODS: A total of 244 individuals (122 NAFLD patients and 122 controls) participated in this case-control study. The patients with NAFLD were diagnosed by a gastroenterologist. The participants’ dietary intake data were collected using a 147-item semi-quantitive food frequency questionnaire and major dietary patterns were identified by principal component analysis. Adherence to dietary patterns was divided into tertiles and its association with odds of NAFLD was investigated by multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: The results showed four major dietary patterns, among which adherence to the “ordinary pattern” was positively associated with NAFLD risk. After adjusting for all confounding factors, individuals in the highest tertile of “ordinary pattern” exhibited a significantly elevated risk of NAFLD compared to the lowest tertile (OR = 3.74, 95%CI = 1.23–11.42, P trend< 0.001). As well as, Individuals in the second and third tertiles of the “traditional pattern” were associated with the risk of NAFLD compared to the lowest tertile (medium vs. lowest tertile OR = 2.37, 95%CI = 1.02–5.53; highest vs. lowest tertile OR = 3.58, 95% CI = 1.48–8.68, P trend< 0.001). The highest tertile of “vegetable and dairy pattern” compared to the lowest tertile was inversely associated with NAFLD risk (OR = 0.23, 95%CI = 0.09–0.58, P trend = 0.02). No significant association was found between “fast food type pattern” and the risk of NAFLD. CONCLUSION: A significant association was observed between different dietary patterns and the risk of NAFLD. These results can potentially serve as a dietary strategy for preventing NAFLD in individuals who are at a high risk for progression of NAFLD.