Middle-aged adults who follow a Mediterranean-style diet are at significantly lower risk of developing fatty liver disease than others who do not follow this diet, researchers are reporting. In the study, the researchers examined the relationship of long-term diet to the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a condition in which fat accumulates in the liver. It is common in people with type 2 diabetes or obesity. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains and limits consumption of red meat and trans fats. The study included 1,521 middle-aged and older adults from the Framingham Heart Study, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year.
Participants who followed the Mediterranean diet for 6 years had less liver fat accumulation and lower risk of developing fatty liver disease. The study, funded by the NHLBI, appeared in Gastroenterology.
“To our knowledge, ours is the first prospective study to examine the relations of long-term habitual diet to fatty liver,” wrote NHLBI researcher Jiantao Ma, Ph.D., and his associates in the journal article. “Our findings indicate that improved diet quality may be particularly important for those with high genetic risk for NAFLD.”