Impact of low-carbohydrate diet on the clinical indicators of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effects of low carbohydrate diet in treating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients.Methods 58 male NAFLD patients selected in Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from September 2010 to October 2012 were divided with random number table into low-carbohydrate diet group (L group,n =31) and medium-carbohydrate diet group (M group,n =27).Waistline,weight,serum glucose level,insulin secretion,glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (ALT),aspartate transaminase (AST)、high-density lipoprotein (HDL),low-density lipoprotein (LDL),total cholesterol (TC),and triglyceride (TG) of the patients were measured.Results Six patients were excluded from this research,2 in L group and 4 in M group.After 6-week's dietary intervention,blood glucose level and insulin secretion were significantly lower in L group than in M group [(4.3±1.4) mol/Lvs.(5.0±0.9) mol/L,P=0.004; (6.1 ±1.5) U/mlvs.(8.9 ± 1.4) U/ml,P =0.001].The levels of ALT and AST in L group were significantly lower than those in Mgroup[(30.23±3.34) U/Lvs.(42.33±4.46) U/L,P=0.003; (31.19±4.13) U/Lvs.(45.21±3.73) U/L,P =0.001].The levels of LDL and TG in L group were also significantly lower than those in M group [(1.13±0.22) mmol/Lvs.(2.71±0.67) mmol/L,P=0.001; (0.99±0.74) mmol/Lvs.(1.42±1.06) mmol/L,P =0.001].Conclusion In NAFLD patients,low-carbohydrate diet can improve blood glucose level,insulin secretion,liver function,and lipid metabolism disorders. Key words: Non-alcoholic fatty liver; Diet; Low-carbohydrate diet; Insulin secretion; Liver function