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No Significant Association Between Vitamin D and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in a Chinese Population

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Abstract

Background

Some research evidence from Western populations suggests that lower vitamin D is associated with the prevalence and histologically assessed severity of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Aims

To investigate the associations of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations and vitamin D status (deficiency <20 ng/ml; insufficiency 20–30 ng/ml; sufficiency >30 ng/ml) with the prevalence of NAFLD in study population of Chinese.

Methods

Serum 25(OH)D, parathyroid hormone, lipids, liver enzymes, and anthropometric characteristics were measured in 1,248 subjects aged ≥20 years. NAFLD was diagnosed using abdominal ultrasound examination.

Results

The prevalence of NAFLD was 30.3 % in the total study population, 37.9 % in the male subjects, and 20.8 % in the female subjects (P < 0.0001). Subjects with NAFLD had a significantly higher body mass index, higher levels of fasting blood glucose and liver enzymes, and a more atherogenic lipid profile. However, serum 25(OH)D concentrations were not significantly different between subjects with and without NAFLD (22.1 vs. 22.8 ng/ml, respectively; P = 0.21). In addition, a 10 ng/ml higher serum 25(OH)D concentrations [odds ratio (OR) 1.02, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.84–1.25, P = 0.82] or vitamin D status (vs. sufficiency: deficiency OR 0.86, 95 % CI 0.54–1.37, P = 0.52; insufficiency OR 0.96, 95 % CI 0.61–1.52, P = 0.87) were not significantly associated with the presence of NAFLD in the multivariate logistic regression analyses.

Conclusions

Serum 25(OH)D concentrations or vitamin D status were not significantly associated with the presence of NAFLD. More studies are needed to elucidate the relationship between vitamin D and the occurrence of NAFLD in Chinese.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the voluntary participation of all study subjects and the expert assistance of Dr. Chaoyong Yao, Dr. Xuechuang Zhu, Dr. Xueyan Li, Dr. Xiao Dong, Dr. Xiaoping Wang, Professor Yonglin Yang, and Professor Shuhuai Xu. The Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (30960137) supported this research.

Conflict of interest

None.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Dali University School of Clinical Medicine, Jiashibo Road 32, Dali, 671000, Yunnan Province, China

    Lihua Li, Lei Zhang, Shaoyi Pan, Xinhua Wu & Xueyan Yin

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  1. Lihua Li
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  2. Lei Zhang
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  3. Shaoyi Pan
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  4. Xinhua Wu
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  5. Xueyan Yin
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Correspondence to Lihua Li.

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Li, L., Zhang, L., Pan, S. et al. No Significant Association Between Vitamin D and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in a Chinese Population. Dig Dis Sci 58, 2376–2382 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-013-2658-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-013-2658-1

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