Vitamin D supplementation and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A critical and systematic review of clinical trials.
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
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
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.