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Intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a cross-sectional study in Japanese men and women

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 64, pages 1179–1185 (2010)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common condition, in which abnormal amounts of triglycerides accumulate in hepatocytes and is closely related to cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Dietary fats contribute 15% of fat accumulation in the liver and regulate hepatic lipid metabolism. The supplementation of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) improves NAFLD. The aim of this study is to assess the cross-sectional association between dietary n-3 PUFAs and NAFLD in Japanese men and women.

Subjects/Methods:

Participants were middle-aged, apparently healthy, 296 men and 496 women, who did not drink alcohol and who participated in a general health check-up program. Dietary information from the previous month was obtained by the brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire. NAFLD was diagnosed if abdominal ultrasonography revealed the presence of fatty liver.

Results:

The prevalence of NAFLD was 45.3% in men and 17.5% in women. In comparison with the first tertile, multivariate adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for the presence of NAFLD in the second and third tertiles for men taking eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) were 0.59 (0.31–1.14) and 0.45 (0.23–0.90), respectively, (P for linear trend=0.024), and the multivariate adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for the presence of NAFLD in the second and third tertiles for men taking EPA+docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were 0.44 (0.23–0.86) and 0.48 (0.24–0.95), respectively, (P for linear trend=0.035). However, there was no significant relation between NAFLD and each of these nutrients in women.

Conclusions:

Dietary EPA and EPA+DHA may be independent and preventive nutrients for NAFLD in Japanese men.

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Acknowledgements

This analysis has been carried out with the support of a grant from the Japan Medical Women's Association, the Tokyo Women's Medical University Association, the Yayoi Yoshioka Research Fund and the Yazuya Food and Health Research Foundation for TN.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Diabetes Center, Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    J Oya, T Nakagami, S Jimba, M Hasegawa & Y Iwamoto

  2. Department of Social and Preventive Epidemiology, School of Public Health, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    S Sasaki & K Murakami

  3. Department of Health and Community Medicine, Saitama-ken Saiseikai Kurihashi Hospital, Saitama, Japan

    T Kasahara, H Sekiguchi & Y Endo

  4. Department of Health and Community Medicine, Totsuka Royal Clinic, Tokyo, Japan

    T Wasada

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  1. J Oya
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Correspondence to J Oya.

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Oya, J., Nakagami, T., Sasaki, S. et al. Intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a cross-sectional study in Japanese men and women. Eur J Clin Nutr 64, 1179–1185 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2010.139

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