Clin Trans Gastroenterology: A low-calorie diet achieves a weight loss target of more than 10% in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease in the world, affecting an estimated 20 to 33 per cent of the population in Western countries, which is associated with chronic excess calorie intake, lack of physical activity/exercise, and overweight/obesity.
NAFLD is a range of liver diseases, from individual fatty liver to non-alcoholic fatty hepatitis (NASH), that can eventually develop into cirrhosis.
in the absence of effective drugs, the main recommended treatment for NAFLD is lifestyle changes, including weight loss, with a 10% weight loss target for patients with advanced NAFLD.
a 2015 study found that 90 percent of participants who lost 10 percent of their body weight had fatty hepatitis, while 81 percent had improved fibrosis.
, only 10 percent of the participants lost 10 percent of their body weight in one year.
low-calorie diet (VLCD) has proven to be a viable treatment strategy for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), studies have shown that VLCD can be effective in reducing body weight in overweight and obese type 2 diabetes patients, and VLCD may also have a positive impact on fatty liver.
, the goal of this study was to determine whether a low-calorie diet (VLCD) was an acceptable and viable treatment to achieve and sustain a 10 percent weight loss in patients with ≥ NAFLD.
used dietary alternatives to include clinically significant NAFLD patients in VLCD (approximately 800 kcal / d) interventions.
the risk of anthodmology, blood tests (liver and metabolism), liver stiffness and cardiovascular disease were measured in baseline, post-VLCD and 9-month follow-up.
results showed that a total of 45 patients were treated, of whom 30 were in the group and 27 (90%) completed VLCD intervention, while 20 patients (67%) completed nine months of follow-up.
of intentional therapy found that 34 percent of patients lost ≥10 percent of their body weight, 51 percent lost ≥7 percent and 68 percent lost ≥5 percent of their body weight during the nine-month follow-up.
For patients who completed VLCD, liver health (hepatic enzyme and liver hardness), cardiovascular risk, metabolic health (fasting blood sugar, HbA1c and insulin) and body composition improved significantly and remained at least 9 months.
study authors say VLCD can improve liver health, cardiovascular risk and quality of life in some NAFLD patients by achieving a ≥10 percent sustainable weight loss target.
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