Research Article Details

Article ID: A07054
PMID: 32639223
Source: Int J Vitam Nutr Res
Title: Vitamin D levels are not associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease severity in a Brazilian population.
Abstract: Some epidemiological evidence suggests an inverse correlation between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) frequency and vitamin D levels. Likewise, a beneficial effect of vitamin D on diabetes mellitus (DM) and insulin resistance has been observed, but this is an unsolved issue. Thus, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in a NAFLD Brazilian population and its association with disease severity and presence of comorbidities. In a cross-sectional study, the clinical, biochemical and histological parameters of 139 NAFLD patients were evaluated according to two different cut-off points of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels (20&#160;ng/mL and 30&#160;ng/mL). The mean age of the population was 56&#160;&#177;&#160;16&#160;years, most patients were female (83%), 72% had hypertension, 88% dyslipidemia, 46% DM, 98% central obesity, and 82% metabolic syndrome. Serum vitamin D levels were&#160;<&#160;30&#160;ng/mL in 78% of the patients, and&#160;<&#160;20&#160;ng/mL in 35%. The mean vitamin D level was 24.3&#160;&#177;&#160;6.8&#160;ng/mL. The comparison between the clinical, biochemical and histological characteristics of the patients according to the levels of vitamin D showed no significant difference. Most patients with NAFLD had hypovitaminosis D, but low vitamin D levels were not related to disease severity and the presence of comorbidities.
DOI: 10.1024/0300-9831/a000667