Abstract

A healthy diet and weight loss might be sufficient to control the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the importance of the diet’s extent and composition is less known. Thus, it is necessary to establish nutritional guidelines targeting disease mechanisms, improving disease evolution. On the one hand, considering nutrients, foods, meals and diet, macronutrients such as saturated fatty acids, trans-fats, simple sugars and proteins originating from animals have a harmful effect on the liver. On the other hand, monounsaturated fats (MUFAs), polyunsaturated (PUFAs) omega-3-fats, plant-based proteins and dietary fibres are considered beneficial for liver health. Furthermore, micronutrients impact NAFLD; however, the dissection of specific micronutrient contribution is difficult, since human diets are complex and micronutrients can interact with macronutrients. Nutrients integrate the food we eat. Food forms a part of meals constituting dietary patterns. General consensus assumes that a variety of food is important to prevent NAFLD development; a poor dietary composition contributes to its progression. NAFLD patients usually have an excess intake of sodas, frozen junk foods, juices, red meat, lard, processed meats, whole fat dairy foods, fatty snack foods, take-away foods, cakes and biscuits. Additionally, their consumption of cereals, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, olive oil and fish is low. Next, analysing dietary patterns is advantageous, being based on habitual food consumption; this can be easily translated into dietetic counselling. Western dietary patterns increase the risk of NAFLD due to the type of food consumed and its excess calories. The Mediterranean diet is beneficial for NAFLD, even without changes in body weight. A new approach considers a better understanding of NAFLD to imply prioritising foods, diets and dietary patterns. This is the idea behind nutritional geometry. This methodology considers the integration between nutrition, animals and the environment, studying how nutrients and foods can be combined in a model to understand how food components interact to regulate the properties of diets affecting health and disease. Research into the role of nutrition in managing NAFLD patients is a considerable challenge; however, dietetic modifications, as a part of lifestyle changes, are proven effective to control the disease.

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