What is Fatty Liver Disease?
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a health problem where too much fat builds up in your liver.
This can hurt your liver and make you feel sick. It’s called “non-alcoholic” because it happens to people who don’t drink a lot of alcohol.
What Scientists Wanted to Know
Researchers wanted to know if there’s a link between how much vitamin C people have in their blood and their chances of getting NAFLD.
How They Studied It
The team looked at health data from 3,374 people who were 20 years old or older. They were part of a big health study called the National Health and Nutritional Survey that was done between 2003 and 2006.
They defined NAFLD as having a US Fatty Liver Index score of 30 or more.
This is a measure of how much fat is in your liver. The team then looked to see if people’s vitamin C levels were linked to their chances of getting NAFLD.
What Researchers Found
The team found that people with more vitamin C in their blood were less likely to get NAFLD. But, this relationship wasn’t straightforward.
It was what they call “non-linear.” This means that the link between vitamin C and NAFLD wasn’t the same at all levels of vitamin C.
The team found that when vitamin C levels were below 0.92 mg/dL, having more vitamin C in your blood was linked with a lower risk of getting NAFLD.
But, when vitamin C levels were above 0.92 mg/dL, they didn’t see a significant link.
What It All Means
This study suggests that having a certain amount of vitamin C in your blood might protect against NAFLD. But, having more than that might not help.
This is what the team found in this study, but they need more research to know for sure. If you’re worried about your liver health or your vitamin C levels, it’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor.
The study was published in Turk J Gastroenterol.
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