Clin Mol Hepatol.
2016 Mar;22(1):146-151. 10.3350/cmh.2016.22.1.146.
The serum vitamin D level is inversely correlated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Internal Medicine, Healthcare Research Institute, Gangnam Healthcare Center, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea. gohwom@hanmail.net
- 2Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
- 3Pulmonary and Critical Care Consultant, Sheikh Khalifa Specialty Hospital, Ras AlKhaimah, UAE.
- KMID: 2363032
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.3350/cmh.2016.22.1.146
Abstract
- BACKGROUND/AIMS
A low vitamin D level has been associated with metabolic syndrome and diabetes. However, an association between a low vitamin D level and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has not yet been definitively established. This study aimed to characterize the relationship between a vitamin D level and NAFLD in Korea.
METHODS
A cross-sectional study involving 6,055 health check-up subjects was conducted. NAFLD was diagnosed on the basis of typical ultrasonographic findings and a history of alcohol consumption.
RESULTS
The subjects were aged 51.7±10.3 years (mean±SD) and 54.7% were female. NAFLD showed a significant inverse correlation with the vitamin D level after adjusting for age and sex [odds ratio (OR)=0.85, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.75-0.96]. The age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of NAFLD decreased steadily with increasing vitamin D level [OR=0.74, 95% CI=0.60-0.90, lowest quintile (≤14.4 ng/mL) vs highest quintile (≥28.9 ng/mL), p for trend <0.001]. Multivariate regression analysis after adjusting for other metabolic factors revealed that NAFLD showed a significant inverse correlation with both the vitamin D level (>20 ng/mL) [OR=0.86, 95% CI=0.75-0.99] and the quintiles of the vitamin D level in a dose-dependent manner (p for trend=0.001).
CONCLUSIONS
The serum level of vitamin D, even when within the normal range, was found to be inversely correlated with NAFLD in a dose-dependent manner. Vitamin D was found to be inversely correlated with NAFLD independent of known metabolic risk factors. These findings suggest that vitamin D exerts protective effects against NAFLD.
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