Association of meat consumption with NAFLD risk and liver-related biochemical indexes in older Chinese: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Non-alcohol fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease and an unhealthy lifestyle can lead to an increased risk of NAFLD. The present study aims to evaluate the association of meat consumption with NAFLD risk and liver-related biochemical indexes in middle-aged and elderly Chinese. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in individuals who were 45 years or older and underwent a physical examination from April 2015 to August 2017 in Southeast China. To evaluate associations between meat intake and NAFLD risk, inverse probability of treatment weighting and subgroup analyses were performed with logistic regressions. Spearman’s rank correlation was carried out to examine the relationship between meat consumptions and liver-related biochemical indexes. Results High consumptions of red meat (28.44–49.74 and > 71.00 g/day) (ORadjusted = 1.948; P < 0.001; ORadjusted = 1.714; P = 0.002) was positively associated with NAFLD risk on inverse probability of treatment weighting analysis, adjusting for smoking, tea intake, weekly hours of physical activity and presence of hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes. Exposure–response relationship analysis presented that red meat intake was positively associated with NAFLD risk. Significant associations of red meat intakes with serum levels of γ-glutamyl transferase, alanine transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase, total triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were found (rs = 0.176; P < 0.001; rs = 0.128; P < 0.001; rs = 0.060; P = 0.016; rs = 0.085; P = 0.001; rs = − 0.074; P = 0.003). Conclusions These findings suggest that the reduction of meat consumption may decrease NAFLD risk and should warrant further investigations.

Red and Processed Meat Intake in Relation to Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Risk: Results from a Case-Control Study

“…To our knowledge, there are only three observational studies, which had reported similar results. Peng et al [ 23 ], in a cross-sectional study of Chinese participants over the age of 45, examined the association between meat consumption and odds of NAFLD and they found a positive association. Also, in this study, red meat consumption was correlated with serum levels of liver enzymes.…”

“…Recently, a large cohort study of 50,045 Iranian participants in the age range of 40 to 75 years had similar results to our results [ 24 ]. Average intake of red/processed meats were higher in studies that performed in non-Iranian population [ 22 23 ]. It is recommended to limit the consumption of red meat to less than 100 g/day for cardio-metabolic health [ 28 ], and the average consumption of red meat in our study and another study conducted in Iran [ 24 ] is less than the recommended values.…”

“…However, the association of dietary red meat and processed meat with NAFLD risk has not been studied extensively. The cross-sectional studies have shown a positive association between meat intake and the odds of NAFLD [ 22 23 ]. Also recently, Hashemian et al [ 24 ] found in the Golestan Cohort Study that subjects who ate more red meat were more likely to develop NAFLD.…”

The Role of Changes in Cumulative Lipid Parameter Burden in the Pathogenesis of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cohort Study of People Aged 35–65 Years in Rural China

“…Many studies have confirmed a positive association between red meat consumption and higher serum TG levels. 44 , 45 Red meat is rich in saturated fatty acids and cholesterol. High-fat products and meat can enhance oxidative stress and inflammation, which can lead to excess lipoproteins in the liver and intestines, thus causing hypertriglyceridemia.…”

Is there an ‘ideal’ diet for patients with NAFLD?

“…[20][21][22] A minimal amount of red and processed meat intake is another characteristic of the MD: meat contains saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and cholesterol which are relevant in NAFLD pathogenesis as demonstrated by some case-control and cross-sectional studies. [23][24][25] Lastly, the typical Mediterranean dietary pattern also involves coffee consumption, which has been shown to be a protective agent for the development and progression of NAFLD. 26,27 Notably, Molloy et al 28 showed that coffee consumption was significantly associated with a reduced prevalence of steatosis and a lower severity NASH: comparing patients with bland steatosis/not-NASH to those with NASH stage 0-1 and also patients with NASH stage 0-1 to those with NASH stage 2-4, there was a significant difference in coffee consumption between the two groups (P = .005 and P = .016, respectively).…”