Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Have a Low Response Rate to Vitamin D Supplementation.

What Was Tested

This observational study looks at Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in the context of fatty liver & elevated liver enzymes.

Forty-two patients (the ratio of men to women was 13:29) had hypovitaminosis D (plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] <30 ng/mL).

The primary outcome measure was plasma 25(OH)D ≥30 ng/mL at the end of the study.

Who Took Part

The study group was 16 subjects.

PubMed indexes the participants as adults and middle-aged adults, both men and women.

Plasma 25(OH)D, hepatic and metabolic panels, and metabolic syndrome components were assessed before and after cholecalciferol supplementation.

How the Study Was Run

Body composition was measured by using bioelectrical impedance analysis.

What Was Measured

The primary outcome measure was plasma 25(OH)D ≥30 ng/mL at the end of the study.

Secondary outcomes included change in serum transaminases, fasting plasma glucose, and insulin and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR).

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Alanine Transaminase, Blood Glucose, Body Composition, Cholecalciferol, Dietary Supplements, Fatty Liver and Insulin.

The authors tagged it with the keywords hypovitaminosis D, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, supplementation and vitamin D response.

What This Means in Plain Language

This is an observational study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in 16 subjects in people with fatty liver & elevated liver enzymes.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 2017 (The Journal of nutrition), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc compound page, Fatty liver & elevated liver enzymes research.