Omega-3 helps NAFLD and other liver problems - July 2023

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Omega-3 intake is associated with liver disease protection

Front. Public Health, Volume 11 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1192099
\r\nMara Sophie VellMara Sophie Vell1Kate Townsend CreasyKate Townsend Creasy2Eleonora ScorlettiEleonora Scorletti3Katharina Sophie Seeling Katharina Sophie Seeling1 Leonida Hehl Leonida Hehl1Miriam Daphne RendelMiriam Daphne Rendel1Kai Markus Schneider&#x;Kai Markus Schneider1†Carolin Victoria Schneider, &#x;Carolin Victoria Schneider1,3,4*†
1Department of Medicine III, Gastroenterology, Metabolic Diseases and Intensive Care, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
2Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
3Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
4The Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, The Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcoholic liver disease are among the most common liver diseases worldwide, and there are currently no Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatments. Recent studies have focused on lifestyle changes to prevent and treat NAFLD. Omega-3 supplementation is associated with improved outcomes in patients with chronic liver disease. However, it is unclear whether Omega-3 supplementation can prevent the development of liver disease, particularly in individuals at an increased (genetic) risk.

Methods: In this UK Biobank cohort study, we established a multivariate cox proportional hazards model for the risk of incident liver disease during an 11 year follow up time. We adjusted the model for diabetes, prevalent cardiovascular disorders, socioeconomic status, diet, alcohol consumption, physical activity, medication intake (insulin, biguanides, statins and aspirin), and baseline characteristics.

Results: Omega-3 supplementation reduced the risk of

• incident liver disease (HR = 0.716; 95% CI: 0.639, 0.802; p = 7.6 × 10−9).

This protective association was particularly evident for

• alcoholic liver disease (HR = 0.559; 95% CI: 0.347, 0.833; p = 4.3 × 10−3),
• liver failure (HR = 0.548; 95% CI: 0.343, 0.875; p = 1.2 × 10−2), and
• non-alcoholic liver disease (HR = 0.784; 95% CI: 0.650, 0.944; p = 1.0 × 10−2).

Interestingly, we were able to replicate the association with reduced risk of NAFLD in a subset with liver MRIs (HR = 0.846; 95% CI: 0.777, 0.921; p = 1.1 × 10−4). In particular, women benefited from Omega-3 supplementation as well as heterozygous allele carriers of the liver-damaging variant PNPLA3 rs738409.

Conclusions: Omega-3 supplementation may reduce the incidence of liver disease. Our study highlights the potential of personalized treatment strategies for individuals at risk of metabolic liver disease. Further evaluation in clinical trials is warranted before Omega-3 can be recommended for the prevention of liver disease.
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VitaminDWiki - 7 studies in both categories Liver and Omega-3

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