The importance of medical nutrition treatment and determinants of its effects of in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients

Abstract

Objective: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is histologically identified as lipid accumulation of more than five percent in liver. NAFLD, which is the most common chronic liver disease in the world, is a clinical and pathological status related to abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, type-2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia and gut dysbiosis. The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of medical nutrition treatment and education on NAFLD patients' eating habits, anthropometric and biochemical findings. Materials and Methods: A total of 50 NAFLD-diagnosed participants in this study were separated into two groups of 25 patients randomly. The standardized nutrition treatment protocol accompanied by nutrition education was implemented to the intervention group in twice a month for 3 months. Results: It was observed a significant difference in anthropometric findings in the intervention group (p<0.05) while no significant differences were found in the control group (p>0.05). The AST and ALT levels showed a significant decrease in the intervention group (p>0.05), however, no significant difference was found in the control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: It was observed that well-planned nutritional treatment and nutrition education have a crucial contribution to patients' anthropometric measurements and biochemical parameters within the scope of NAFLD treatment. © 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.