Scientists from The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University found that eating too much salt is linked to a higher risk of common liver disease while including various foods in the daily diet could help protect against the disease.
The research is published in Frontiers in Nutrition and was conducted by Xiaofei Luo et al.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition in which fat builds up in your liver.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis are types of NAFLD. If you have NASH, you have inflammation and liver damage, along with fat in your liver.
Usually, NAFLD is a silent disease with few or no symptoms. Certain health conditions—including obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes—make you more likely to develop NAFLD.
Doctors may use blood tests, imaging tests, and liver biopsies to diagnose NAFLD.
Doctors recommend weight loss to treat NAFLD. Weight loss can reduce fat, inflammation, and fibrosis in the liver. No medicines have been approved to treat the disease.
Previous research has found that dietary habits play a big role in the development of NAFLD. People may be able to prevent the disease by eating a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight.
In the current study, researchers aimed to examine the association of NAFLD with salt intake in a medical examination group of adults aged 18-59 years.
Some research indicates that in addition to high blood pressure, too much sodium intake can damage the liver.
The team used data from two Chinese health management centers and analyzed the laboratory tests, lifestyle habits, and diet of the participants.
Based on alcohol drinking and ultrasound results, the team divided 23,867 adults into liver disease and healthy groups.
The researchers found that the prevalence of NAFLD was 32.48% in all the tested people.
Salt intake was linked to an increased risk of NAFLD, whereas sufficient dietary diversity could help protect against NAFLD.
Dietary diversity is a measure of food consumption that reflects household access to a variety of foods and is also a proxy for nutrient adequacy of the diet of people.
These findings suggest that NAFLD is highly common in medical examination adults aged 18-59 years in China.
The team says salt intake may increase the risk of NAFLD and dietary diversity may help lower the risk of NAFLD. These factors should be taken into account in the management of the disease.
If you care about liver health, please read studies about health problem linked to a very high risk of liver cancer, and how sugary beverages affects the liver.
For more information about liver health, please see recent studies about a new therapy for fatty liver disease, and results showing oats and rye brands can protect your gut and liver health.
