Association between empirically derived dietary patterns and liver function tests in adults: Shahedieh cohort study

• Published in: Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.) Los Angeles County, Calif.), 2021-01, Vol.81, p.110897-110897, Article 110897
• Main Authors: Lorzadeh, Elnaz, Akhondi-Meybodi, Mohsen, Mozaffari-Khosravi, Hassan, Mirzaei, Masoud, Salehi-Abargouei, Amin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adults; Alanine; Alanine aminotransferase; Alanine transaminase; Alkaline phosphatase; Aspartate aminotransferase; Beverages; Cancer; Carbohydrates; Chronic illnesses; Cohort analysis; Dairy products; Desserts; Diabetes; Diet; Dietary food patterns; Dietary intake; Enzymes; Food; Food intake; Fruit juices; Fruits; Gamma glutamyl transferase; High fat diet; Investigations; Legumes; Liver; Liver diseases; Mayonnaise; Metabolic syndrome; Nutrients; Olive oil; Potatoes; Principal components analysis; Questionnaires; Soft drinks; Statistical methods; Sugar; Sweet taste; Tomatoes; Womens health; Yogurt
• ISSN: 0899-9007; 1873-1244
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2020.110897

Limited data exist on the association between dietary patterns (DPs) and enzymes mainly produced by the liver. This study aimed to examine the relationship between empirically derived DPs and serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels in addition to the alanine/aspartate aminotransferase ratio. This cross-sectional study was conducted on adults in the baseline phase of the Shahedieh cohort study in Yazd, Iran. Blood samples were taken from participants in a fasted state to provide data on dietary intake and other variables. Major DPs were derived using a principal component analysis. In total, 4973 participants (age 46.33 ± 9.08 y) were included in the study. Three DPs were derived: Traditional diet (high in vegetables, fruits, tomatoes, dairy, dried fruits, fruit juice, yogurt, olive and olive oil, sweet desserts, and high-fat dairy products), western diet (high in pizza, refined grains, soft drinks, high-fat dairy products, processed meats, mayonnaise, and snack foods), and hydrogenated fat and sugar diet (high in hydrogenated fat, potatoes, sugars, and legumes). After adjustment for all confounders, the western DP had a significant linear association with serum GGT (P < 0.001). This diet was also associated with higher odds for developing abnormal levels of serum GGT (Ptrend < 0.001). Although the other DPs had some linear associations with enzymes levels, they were not associated with the likelihood for developing abnormally high liver enzymes levels. A higher consumption of a western DP might adversely affect serum GGT levels. Prospective studies are recommended to confirm our results. •Limited data exists on the association between dietary food patterns and liver enzymes.•We examined the association between empirically derived dietary patterns and liver enzymes in a large sample of Iranian adults.•Three dietary patterns were derived: 1) “traditional”, 2) “western”, and “Hydrogenated fat and sugars” diet.•The western dietary pattern was linearly associated with serum gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels.•The western diet was also associated with abnormally high GGT levels.