Abstract
BackgroundA low serum vitamin D concentration has been reported to be associated with an increased risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); however, whether lean or obese individuals show a similar association between vitamin D and NAFLD remains speculative. This study aimed to explore the relationship between serum vitamin D concentration and NAFLD in lean and obese Chinese adults.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 2538 participants (1360 men and 1178 women) who underwent health checkups at the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine in 2019. NAFLD was diagnosed by liver ultrasound excluding other causes. The association of serum vitamin D concentration with NAFLD was analyzed in lean and obese participants.ResultsThe overall prevalence of NAFLD was 33.61% (13.10% in lean and 53.32% in obese) in this study population. The serum vitamin D levels of obese NAFLD patients were lower than those of obese NAFLD-free controls. However, the serum vitamin D levels of lean NAFLD patients were comparable to those of lean NAFLD-free controls. Serum vitamin D level was negatively correlated with the prevalence of NAFLD in obese but not lean participants. Serum vitamin D level was independently associated with the risk of NAFLD in obese participants, with an adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) of 0.987 (0.981–0.993). However, serum vitamin D level was not related to the risk of NAFLD in lean participants.ConclusionsA low serum vitamin D level is associated with NAFLD in obese but not lean participants.
Highlights
A low serum vitamin D concentration has been reported to be associated with an increased risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); whether lean or obese individuals show a similar association between vitamin D and NAFLD remains speculative
Comparing clinical characteristics based on NAFLD status (Table 1), we found that both lean and obese NAFLD patients had higher Body mass index (BMI), larger waist circumference, higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and elevated serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, triglyceride, uric acid, and fasting glucose, but lower serum HDL-cholesterol levels than corresponding controls
The vitamin D levels of obese NAFLD patients were lower than those of obese NAFLD-free controls (59.03 ± 19.46 nmol/L versus 63.56 ± 22.09 nmol/L, P < 0.001), but this was not observed in lean participants (Table 1)
Summary
A low serum vitamin D concentration has been reported to be associated with an increased risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); whether lean or obese individuals show a similar association between vitamin D and NAFLD remains speculative. This study aimed to explore the relationship between serum vitamin D concentration and NAFLD in lean and obese Chinese adults. Though, many studies have shown that non-obese people have a high prevalence of NAFLD [11, 12]. Compared with obese NAFLD patients, lean NAFLD patients are usually asymptomatic and difficult to diagnose, but they have severe liver histological necrotizing inflammation and high mortality [14]. The identification, diagnosis, and treatment of non-obese NAFLD is very important
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