Evaluation of Risk Factors of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in the Adult Population of Zahedan, Iran

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common form of chronic liver disease. It has been reported that visceral fat releases free fatty acids and arises fat accumulation in the liver. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the some biomarkers of NAFLD risk in adult general population.

Materials and Methods: An analytical - descriptive study was carried out on a total of 1529 randomly selected individuals (797 male and 732 female) aged 30–88 years in Zahedan. The characteristics of socio-demographic, medical history, food habits and lifestyle factors were obtained by a validated questionnaire, liver ultrasonography and routine laboratory tests were performed with the use of standard techniques. The assessment of waist circumference (WC) and waist to hip ratio (WHR) was performed as central obesity indices.

Results: The mean levels of WC and WHR were 92±11.7 cm and 0.91±0.06 in men, and 91.2±12.4 cm and 0.88±0.07 in women, respectively. 39.7% and 37% of subjects had hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia, respectively. Ultrasonography findings demonstrated diffuse fatty liver in 40.9% subjects. Data also showed low consumption of fruits and vegetables and fish, and high consumption of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and fast foods in the majority of obesity and NAFLD subjects compared with normal subjects.

Conclusion: The results showed that a large proportion of the study population is at risk of central obesity and NAFLD. The formation of non-alcoholic fatty liver may be associated with obesity and unhealthy dietary patterns which warrants further research.