Associations between dietary iron intake from different sources and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in adults

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Author : Chuanjing Chen, Jianhong Dong, Haihong Liu, Teng Ma, Yongye Sun
Keyword : animal-derived iron, plant-derived iron, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), dietary intake, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
DOI : 10.6133/apjcn.202409_33(3).0012
Issue : Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2024;33(3):413-423
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Abstract

Background and Objectives: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a worldwide public health problem. Current evidence on the association between dietary iron intake and the risk of NAFLD is limited. The present study aimed to investigate the associations of animal-derived dietary iron (ADDI) intake, plant-derived dietary iron (PDDI) intake, and the ratio of PDDI:ADDI with NAFLD risk among U.S. adult population. Methods and Study Design: This was a repeated cross-sectional study. Data were collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2018. NAFLD was defined as a United States Fatty Lives Index ≥30, and dietary iron intake was assessed through two 24-h dietary recall interviews. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline models were applied to examine the associations between dietary iron intake from different sources and NAFLD risk. Results: A total of 9478 participants aged ≥20 years were enrolled in the present study. After adjustment for multiple confounding factors, relative to the lowest quartile, the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of NAFLD for the highest quartile was 1.01(95% CI, 0.82-1.24) for ADDI intake, 0.82 (95% CI, 0.64-0.99) for PDDI intake, and 1.00 (95% CI, 0.81-1.24) for the PDDI: ADDI intake ratio. In stratified analysis by sex and age, the significantly negative associations of PDDI intake with NAFLD was observed in women and participants older than 45 years. Dose-response analyses indicated that NAFLD was negatively associated with PDDI intake in a non-linear manner. Conclusions: PDDI intake was negatively associated with NAFLD in U.S. adults.

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