Meta-analysis: Vitamin D and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

M. Eliades, E. Spyrou, N. Agrawal, M. Lazo, F. L. Brancati, J. J. Potter, A. A. Koteish, J. M. Clark, E. Guallar, R. Hernaez

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

162 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a highly prevalent condition. Emerging evidence suggests that vitamin D may play a role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. Aim To review systematically the association between vitamin D levels, measured as serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D], and NAFLD. Methods We used PubMed and EMBASE databases to identify all studies that assessed the association between vitamin D and NAFLD up until 22 April 2013, without language restrictions. We included studies that compared vitamin D levels between NAFLD cases and controls and also those that compared the odds of vitamin D deficiency by NAFLD status. Pooled standardised differences and odds ratios were calculated using an inverse variance method. Results Seventeen cross-sectional and case-control studies have evaluated the association between vitamin D and NAFLD. NAFLD was diagnosed using biopsy (4 studies), ultrasound or CT (10 studies) and liver enzymes (3 studies). Nine studies provided data for a quantitative meta-analysis. Compared to controls, NAFLD patients had 0.36 ng/mL (95% CI: 0.32, 0.40 ng/mL) lower levels of 25(OH)D and were 1.26 times more likely to be vitamin D deficient (OR 1.26, 95% CI: 1.17, 1.35). Conclusions NAFLD patients have decreased serum 25(OH)D concentrations, suggesting that vitamin D may play a role in the development of NAFLD. The directionality of this association cannot be determined from cross-sectional studies. Demonstration of a causal role of hypovitaminosis D in NAFLD development in future studies could have important therapeutic implications.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)246-254
Number of pages9
JournalAlimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Volume38
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2013

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Hepatology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Pharmacology (medical)

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