Association Between Live Microbe Intake and NAFLD: Evidence From NHANES 2003–2018

Abstract

Objective

This study aimed to shed light on the potential relationship between live microbe intake and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Method

By using a cross-sectional study design, the researchers were able to investigate the possible causal association between the two variables in a rigorous and systematic manner.

Results

Our study investigated the correlation between the intake of live microbe–containing foods and NAFLD in a representative sample of adults. The study found that the intake of live microbe–containing foods was associated with lower blood pressure, plasma glucose, NAFLD, body mass index, glycated hemoglobin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, as well as higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (p < 0.05). In univariate logistic regression, high dietary live microbe intake was associated with lower NAFLD prevalence than low intake (OR = 0.830; 95% CI, 0.759 to 0.908; p < 0.001). After adjusting for multiple variables, the same conclusion was supported (p < 0.05). In subgroup analyses, there was a significant difference in the race and smoking groups, with p for interaction of 0.01 and 0.02, respectively. This study’s findings serve to augment the existing body of evidence linking live microbes with favorable health outcomes.

Conclusions

Our study revealed a robust correlation between dietary intake of live microbes and the prevalence of NAFLD in a cross-sectional analysis. Our findings offer a novel perspective on NAFLD research, highlighting the potential of targeted modulation of specific bacterial taxa, including the promotion of beneficial bacteria and suppression of harmful ones, as a promising strategy for preventing and treating NAFLD.

Keywords:

• Live microbe intake
• gut microbes
• nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
• NHANES

Acknowledgments

The authors want to acknowledge the participants and investigators of the NHANES datasets analyzed in this study for sharing them publicly for research.

Ethics statement

The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by the National Center for Health Statistics Ethics Review Board.

Author contributions

CF conceived the presented idea and performed the computations and manuscript writing. YH and JY were involved in interpretation of data. The manuscript writing was overseen by MD. All authors contributed to the article and reviewed the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Data availability statement

The study’s original contributions are available to the public. You can find this data at the following link: NHANES (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes).

Additional information

Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [82160588].