Vitamins C, E stave off nonalcoholic fatty liver disease/steatohepatitis

Dietary intake of vitamins C and E may help protect against liver damage associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a recent study has shown.

Researchers conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 789 participants (mean age, 58.83±6.58 years; 52.6 percent male), in whom NAFLD was detected through ultrasonography. A food frequency questionnaire was used to evaluate nutritional intake.

Majority (73.6 percent; n=581) were able to meet the recommended daily intake level of vitamin C, while only 25.2 percent (n=199) met the same guidelines for vitamin E intake. Fifty-two participants (6.6 percent) used vitamin supplements. Both NAFLD and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) occurred at greater frequencies in patients with vitamins C and E intake <1,000 kcal.

Multivariate logistic regression analysis found that in the upper tertile of vitamin E intake, each additional 1,000-kcal of vitamin E correlated with a significant drop in the risk of NASH (odds ratio [OR], 0.64, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.43–0.94; p=0.024). No effect was reported for NAFLD or presumed fibrosis.

The same was true for reaching the recommended intake levels of vitamin E (OR, 0.48, 95 percent CI, 0.30–0.77; p=0.002).

Vitamin C also exerted a protective effect. In the upper tertile of intake levels, every additional 1,000-kcal of vitamin C reduced the likelihood of both NAFLD (OR, 0.68, 95 percent CI, 0.47–0.99; p=0.045) and NASH (OR, 0.57, 95 percent CI, 0.38–0.84; p=0.004). However, satisfying the recommended intake levels did not seem to yield a significant benefit.