- A Japanese diet helps slow the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in people who have the condition, according to a new study.
- The study found that soy foods, seafood, and seaweed were most strongly associated with slowing the progression of fibrosis of the liver.
- The Japanese diet promotes the consumption of high-quality foods and a lower intake of sugar, saturated fats, and sodium.
A new study has found that following a Japanese-style diet can help people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) slow its progression. The authors of the study tracked the diet and disease progression of 136 people with NAFLD being treated at the Osaka Metropolitan University Hospital in Japan.
Researchers scored the diet of each individual according to its adherence to the 12-component Japanese Diet Index, or mJDI12. High mJDI12 scores were associated with a slowing of the progression of liver fibrosis that accompanies NAFLD.
The Japanese diet consists of 12 foods and food groups:
- rice
- miso soup
- pickles
- soy products
- green and yellow vegetables
- fruits
- seafood
- mushrooms
- seaweed
- green tea
- coffee
- beef and pork
Within the Japanese diet, people who consumed more soy, seafood, and seaweed enjoyed the most significant suppression of liver fibrosis progression.
The researchers also tracked the effect of the diet on muscle mass and found that people who ate more soy products built a greater amount, in addition to having low rates of fibrosis progression.
The study is published in MDPI.
NAFLD is a largely symptomless condition in which fat builds up in the liver, potentially affecting the function of the organ, although it does not directly damage it.
With NAFLD, a person is at
Dr. Muhammad Nadeem Aslam, assistant research scientist in the Department…
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