Drink less!

Introduction Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become one of the most common liver diseases in the world, and its incidence is still increasing
.

NAFLD may further progress to liver cirrhosis, liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma, which seriously threaten human health
.

At present, there is no ideal effective treatment drug for this disease
.

Life>
.

Controlling the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) is a very effective target
.

SSB and NAFLD are related
.

Recently, researchers from the University of Michigan in the United States published a new study.
The results showed that the intake of SSB is associated with liver fibrosis and liver steatosis in healthy adults
.

Research methods included 2706 adult subjects with complete and valid liver stiffness measurements in the NHANES study (a cross-sectional study of demographic, socioeconomic, and health information interviews with participants), and the subjects were older than 20 Years old, not pregnant at the time of the survey, had two-day complete dietary recall data, and had no previous complications or known liver disease
.

Vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) was used to assess the correlation between SSB and liver fibrosis and liver fat
.

SSB is converted to a serving size of 1 serving per 8 ounces, including soft drinks, sugary fruit drinks, sugary coffee and tea drinks, sports drinks, and sugary bottled water
.

The liver stiffness measurement (LSM) and controlled attenuation parameters (CAP) are regarded as continuous variables or categorical variables (LSM>7 is used to classify non-advanced fibrosis low-risk populations, CAP>248 is used for liver steatosis)
.

The results of the study were 37.
9±0.
6 years old, of which 47.
4% were women
.

16.
0% of the subjects did not drink alcohol, and 29.
1% reported drinking at least once a week
.

The daily SSB intake changed uniformly: 38.
8% of the subjects did not take it, 20.
2% took> 0-1 servings (> 0-8 ounces), 18.
7% took> 1-2 servings (> 8-16) Ounces), 22.
2% intake> 2 servings (> 16 ounces)
.

Overall, 305 subjects (11.
3%) had LSM>7.
0 kPa, and 1254 subjects (46.
3%) had CAP>248 dB/m
.

After multivariate adjustment, SSB intake of more than 2 servings/day was significantly associated with higher LSM (OR 2.
30, 95% CI 1.
39-3.
79)
.

SSB intake of more than 1-2 servings/day is also associated with an increase in CAP
.

Especially compared with subjects who did not take SSB, subjects with SSB intake> 1-2 servings/day were more likely to have CAP> 248 (OR 1.
51, 95% CI 1.
18, 1.
94)
.

Table 1 lists the correlation between SSB intake and LSM/CAP after multivariate adjustment
.

Table 1 Correlation between SSB intake and LSM/CAP Conclusion This study shows that SSB intake is related to hepatic fibrosis and hepatic steatosis in healthy adults, and has nothing to do with sociodemographic characteristics and other health behaviors (such as Overall diet quality, physical activity, and alcohol intake)
.

Dietary recommendations for NAFLD patients "Expert Recommendations for the Standardization of Diagnosis and Treatment of Fatty Liver Disease in China (Revised in 2019)" recommends that NAFLD patients should have a ration of diet, a low-sugar and low-fat balanced diet, without or reducing SSB, and reducing saturated fat (animal fat and palm).
The intake of oils, etc.
) and trans fats (fried foods) increase the content of dietary fiber (beans, whole grains, vegetables and fruits, etc.
)
.

NAFLD patients should abstain from alcohol or avoid excessive drinking
.

References: [1] Guo Liang, Tang Qiqun.
Research progress in the pathogenesis and treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver[J].
Life Science, 2018,30(11):1165-1172.
[2] Leung CW, Tapper EB, Sugar-Sweetened Beverages are Associated with Increased Liver Stiffness and Steatosis Among Apparently Healthy Adults in the United States, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology (2021), doi:https://doi.
org/10.
1016/j.
cgh.
2021.
05.
052.
[ 3] Expert recommendations on the standardization of diagnosis and treatment of fatty liver disease in China (revised edition in 2019)[J].
Chinese Journal of Hepatology, 2019(10):748-753.