OAT BETA-GLUCAN SUPPLEMENTATION DECREASES LIVER STEATOSIS IN PATIENTS WITH NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE: A RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED TRIAL

Background and Aim: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is substantial public health challenge across the globe. Supplementation of beta-glucan has been proposed as an effective management of NAFLD because of its fermentability and their ability to form highly viscous solutions in the human gut. The objective was to evaluate the effects of supplementation with beta-glucan and Vitamin E incorporated in an energy-restricted meal plan on hepatic steatosis and liver enzymes as primary outcomes in patients with NAFLD. Methods: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted in 47 NAFLD patients with body mass index (in kg/m2): 36.8 ± 5.9 and aged 36 y. Subjects were randomly assigned into 2 groups to take either 400 mg Vitamin E plus 3 g oat beta-glucan (n = 23) or 400 mg Vitamin E plus placebo (n = 24) for 8 wk. Both groups were advised to follow an energy restriction program. We evaluated differences between groups in liver function measures by using repeated-measures ANOVA, ANCOVA, unpaired t test, and logistic regression.Results: At the end of the study, the grades of NAFLD, as determined by ultrasonography, showed a significant decrease in the intervention group (P = 0.021). In addition, a significant reduction in serum concentrations of alkaline phosphatase (P = 0.037) were seen in the intervention group compare with the control group.Conclusion: Overall, our study demonstrated that beta-glucan supplementation for 8 wk among patients with NAFLD had beneficial effects on hepatic steatosis and liver enzyme concentrations.

Keywords:

beta-glucan , NAFLD