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
  • 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.

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.

Keyword

Fatty liver; Vitamin D; Metabolic factor

MeSH Terms

Adult
Aged
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Multivariate Analysis
Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/blood/*diagnosis/diagnostic imaging
Odds Ratio
Regression Analysis
Ultrasonography
Vitamin D/*blood
Vitamin D
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