The effect of vitamin D status on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a population-based observational study

The effect of vitamin D status on steatosis has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we planned to investigate this interaction using a large-scale population-based cohort.

Patients diagnosed with simple steatosis (K76.0) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) (K75.8) by using the International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD-10) coding system, and who had 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) measurements at the diagnosis, were included in the study. Control group comprised subjects without liver diseases. Age, gender, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and 25OHD levels, and the date of the measurements were recorded.

We compared ALT and 25OHD measurements between the patient and control groups, and between the simple steatosis and NASH subgroups. 25OHD levels were lower and ALT levels were higher in the patient group (p < 0.001, effect size = 0.028, and p < 0.001, effect size = 0.442, respectively). Logistic regression analysis showed that when 25OHD levels decrease by 1 ng/dL, it increases the risk of being in the patient group by 3.7%.

Our results suggest that vitamin D status may be related to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Although this relationship is weak, it may be important in the pathogenesis of steatosis.