Association between Dietary Patterns and Serum Hepatic Enzyme Levels in Adults with Dyslipidemia and Impaired Fasting Plasma Glucose

Abstract

We investigated the association between dietary patterns and serum hepatic enzyme levels in adults with dyslipidemia and impaired fasting glucose in Taiwan. A total of 15,005 subjects (5452 men and 9553 women) aged 35–69 years were selected. Two major dietary patterns were identified by principal component analysis: Western dietary pattern and Mediterranean dietary pattern. Subjects in the highest quartile (Q4) of the Western dietary pattern showed an increased risk of elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels (OR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.06–1.45, p-trend = 0.01). Fur-thermore, in the highest quartile of the Western dietary pattern, subjects with high waist circum-ference were observed to have a greater risk for developing abnormal serum ALT levels compared to those in the lowest quartile (Q1) (OR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.04–1.97, p-trend = 0.01). In the highest quartile of the Western dietary pattern, only women were at an increased risk for having abnormal serum ALT levels (OR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.04–1.59, p-trend = 0.03). By contrast, in the highest quartile of the Mediterranean dietary pattern, only men were at a reduced risk for having abnormal serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels (OR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.53–0.97, p-trend = 0.048). We report a positive association between the Western dietary pattern and abnormal serum ALT levels.

Synergistic Interaction of Dietary Pattern and Concordance Lifestyle with Abnormal Liver Function among Young Adults in Taiwan: A Population-Based Longitudinal Study

“…The characteristics of the derived dietary pattern, with high consumption of dipping sauces, sugar-sweetened beverages, and processed foods but low consumption of presumably healthy food, such as seafood, fruits, eggs, and dark vegetables, were similar to an unhealthy dietary pattern and could be associated with an increased risk of developing abnormal liver function [30]. A previous investigation among the Taiwanese population indicated that Western dietary patterns, known as unhealthy diets, appeared to be a risk factor in developing abnormal serum ALT levels in female participants but not in male participants [11]. In gender-specific analyses, we observed that the role of dietary patterns on disease progression occurred across quartiles in female participants, while only the highest quartile of dietary pattern showed a significant association with abnormal liver function in male participants.…”

“…Because we did not obtain further diagnostic information on liver disease, such as the infection of hepatotoxic viruses, liver biopsy, or liver echogenicity, from the MJ database, and serum hepatic enzymes such as ALT, AST, and γ-GT are frequently determined in most health screening facilities and hospitals in Taiwan, we used the enzymatic methodology to evaluate liver function. Our study applied the identification of abnormal liver function based on the abnormal ranges of liver enzymes offered by the MJ laboratory as follows: ALT > 33 U/L, AST > 27 U/L, or γ-GT ≥ 39 U/L for women and γ-GT ≥ 50 U/L for men [11,19]. Our study also retrieved data corresponding to iron biomarkers, such as red blood cells (RBC, ×10 6 /µL), hemoglobin (mmol/L), hematocrit (%), mean corpuscular volume (MCV, fL), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH, pg), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC, g/dL), iron (µg/dL), and ferritin (ng/mL).…”

“…Dietary habits have been considered as a potential environmental factor in relation to liver disease. A study among adults in Taiwan showed that individuals in the highest quartile of a Western dietary pattern, characterized by animal protein, eggs, refined foods and beverages, oil-cooked foods, and high-sugar foods, were likely to have elevated ALT levels (OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.97), while individuals consuming the Mediterranean diet were correlated with a reduced risk of having abnormal levels of γ-GT (OR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.53, 0.97) [11]. In accordance, a previous investigation among Iranian adults found greater odds of having NAFLD in subjects with the highest adherence to a Western dietary pattern (OR = 2.61, 95% CI: 1.41, 4.28); meanwhile, subjects in the highest quartile of a healthy dietary pattern were 41% less likely to have NAFLD after controlling for confounders [12].…”

Dietary Patterns, Cardiometabolic and Lifestyle Variables in Greeks with Obesity and Metabolic Disorders

“…We also observed a positive association with liver function enzymes (AST and ALT). Individuals with high adherence to a Western dietary pattern, were more likely to have elevated ALT and AST levels, not only in MS, but in the general population as well [ 36 , 37 ]. Finally, the Western-type pattern was inversely associated with vitamin D levels.…”

Using Second Measurement of De Ritis Ratio to Improve Mortality Prediction in Adult Trauma Patients in Intensive Care Unit

“…In addition, the elevated DRR was mainly attributed to an elevated AST level in the second measurement of the death patients. Notably, although both AST and ALT are involved in aerobic glycolysis, catalyzing nucleotide and nonessential amino acids [ 46 , 47 , 48 ], an isolated elevation of AST values indicates a non-hepatic source of AST from the injury to non-liver cells, particularly those cells containing mitochondria [ 3 ]. Elevated AST levels, but not ALT, led to a higher DRR and indicated mitochondrial dysfunction upon oxidative stress [ 3 , 49 , 50 ].…”