Association Between Vitamin D Deficiency And Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease And Liver Fibrosis

Objective:The association between Vitamin D deficiency and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)remains unestablished.In this study,we aimed to explore the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and NAFLD and liver fibrosis.Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted based on data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey(NHANES Ⅲ).Liver steatosis was diagnosed by ultrasonography.Binary logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and NAFLD.Results:A total of 9782 participants were identified in this analysis,with46.8% male and an average age of 44.41±0.16 years old.Among them,6047(61.8%)cases were without NAFLD,1357(13.9%)had mild NAFLD,1594(16.3%)had moderate and 784(8.0%)had severe NAFLD.Compared to those with non-NAFLD or mild NAFLD,patients in the moderate to severe NAFLD group had higher vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency rates(12.7% vs 11.6% and 36.9%vs 33.8%,respectively).After adjustment for male gender,older age,race,BMI,history of diabetes and vitamon D intake,vitamin D levels were independently associated with the severity of NAFLD(Vitamin D deficiency group OR: 1.330,95% CI: 1.117 to 1.585,Vitamin D insufficiency group OR: 1.136,95% CI: 1.013 to 1.274).Conclusion:Vitamin D deficiency is an independent factor related with NAFLD.Vitamin D levels are associated with the severity of NAFLD and liver fibrosis.