Authors

YAHYA PASDAR1,3, MITRA DARBANDI2, PARISA NIAZI3, AMIR BAGHERI3, SEYED AMIR REZA MOHAJERI4, ABDOLREZA NOROUZY5, BEHROOZ HAMZEH6*

Departments

1Research Center for Environmental Determinants of Health, School of Public Health, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran - 2Student Research Committee, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran - 3Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran - 4School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran - 5Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran - 6Department of Public Health, School of Public Health, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver is the most common liver disease in the world that is associated with various metabolic complications. This study was conducted to determine the risk factors of metabolic syndrome and assess the nutritional status of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in Kermanshah, Iran.

Methods: The present case-control study examined 250 patients in two groups of 125. The cases were selected through a convenience sampling of patients with NAFLD as per their positive ultrasound results and the controls were selected through a simple random sampling of those with negative ultrasound results. The data collection tools used were a demographic questionnaire and the Food Frequency Questionnaire. The NCEP/ATP-III definition of metabolic syndrome was used. Data were analyzed in Stata-11 using the Chi-square test, the t-test and the logistic regression.

Results: Triglyceride level was significantly higher in the patients with NAFLD compared to the healthy controls (33.33% vs. 14.41%; P=0.001). The waist-to-hip ratio was significantly lower in the control group (43.69% vs. 21.01%; P≤0.001). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 25.5% in the patients with NAFLD and 6.8% in the control group (P<0.001). Protein intake (OR: 0.29, 95% CI: 0.13-0.64) and vitamin E intake (OR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.54-0.86) had a protective effect against the incidence of NAFLD.

Conclusion: The findings showed a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients with NAFLD compared to the healthy subjects and revealed a significant relationship between fatty liver and metabolic syndrome. Ensuring an early diagnosis of NAFLD can help delay the complications of this disease, including metabolic syndrome.

Keywords

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Metabolic Syndrome, Nutrition, Triglyceride

DOI:

10.19193/0393-6384_2017_4_106