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Vitamin D supplementation and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A critical and systematic review of clinical trials.

Critical reviews in food science and nutrition
January 1, 2019
Nasrin Sharifi et al. (2 authors)
Journal ArticleSystematic ReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate the therapeutic role of vitamin D supplementation, including its co-supplementation with calcium, in adults with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Results Summary

The study found mixed results regarding the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in NAFLD, with only two studies showing significant reduction in hepatic steatosis and one study reporting improvements in insulin resistance and inflammation biomarkers. Co-supplementation with calcium was suggested as a factor to consider in future trials.

Population

Adults with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (3)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
vitamin D supplementation
decrease
grade of hepatic steatosis
adults with NAFLD
-
decreased significantly
#1
vitamin D supplementation
decrease
insulin resistance parameters
adults with NAFLD
-
changes were reported significant
#2
vitamin D supplementation
decrease
biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress
adults with NAFLD
-
revealed a significant decrease
#3
Abstract

Previous observational studies have found a relationship between vitamin D deficiency and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, this type of study could not show the causal relationship between these two conditions. Therefore, we systematically and critically reviewed the available clinical trials to elucidate such relationship. We searched databases such as Medline, Scopus and Cochrane to identify the clinical trials that assessed the effects of vitamin D supplementation in adults with NAFLD. The outcome variables of interest were indicators of hepatic steatosis, liver enzymes, insulin resistance, inflammation and oxidative stress. A total of 6 studies were included in the qualitative analysis. Only in two studies the grade of hepatic steatosis decreased significantly after vitamin D supplementation. The changes in insulin resistance parameters were reported significant only in one. Of the 3 included studies that measured biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress, one revealed a significant decrease in these biomarkers after vitamin D supplementation. Findings from current review study provided new insight into the factors that could affect the therapeutic role of vitamin D in NAFLD. Factors such as gender differences, baseline serum status of vitamin D, co-supplementation with calcium and gene polymorphism should be considered when designing future clinical trials.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AdultAgedBiomarkersDietary SupplementsFemaleHumansInflammationInsulin ResistanceMEDLINEMaleMiddle AgedNon-alcoholic Fatty Liver DiseaseOxidative StressVitamin DVitamin D Deficiency
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy50/10
Quality75/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations18
Citations/Year3.0
Relative Citation Ratio1.05
NIH Percentile51.9%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.75
Weight Score2.17
Normalized Score0.55
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