Globally, metabolic-asssociated fatty liver disease has become a significant health burden due to its complex pathogenesis, and there are no specific and effective therapeutic drugs to date. The onset and progression of metabolic-asssociated fatty liver disease is closely associated with improper dietary habits. The cornerstone to treat metabolic-asssociated fatty liver disease is weight loss through a well-balanced diet. This article summarizes and discusses the research progress at home and abroad in relationship to metabolic-asssociated fatty liver disease and dietary patterns such as the Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet, an energy-restricted balanced diet, a low fat diet, a low carbohydrate diet, a western diet, an animal food diet, a traditional diet, and others. In addition, it categorizes the effects of various dietary patterns on the prevention, treatment, or induction of several issues that need further metabolic-asssociated fatty liver disease research for subsequent reference.
Animals ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/etiology* ; Diet, Fat-Restricted ; Weight Loss ; Diet, Mediterranean ; Liver

The purpose of this study was to prospectively investigate the relation between total diet quality and metabolic syndrome in Korean adults. A community-based cohort of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES) provided basis for this study. During the total follow-up period of 38,171 person-years of 5,549 subjects, a total of 1,891 metabolic syndrome incident cases were identified. Metabolic syndrome was defined by the criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel. Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet, and Recommended Food Score (RFS) were used to assess total diet quality. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for metabolic syndrome associated with total diet quality. In men, the incidence of metabolic syndrome in the 5th MDS quintile group decreased by approximately 25% compared to the 1st quintile group (p for trend < 0.01) after adjusting for age and energy intake. In women, significant decreasing trend of metabolic syndrome incidence risk was observed across the quintiles of RFS in an age and energy intake-adjusted model (HR [95% CI] of Q5 vs. Q1; 0.662 [0.521–0.842], p for trend < 0.01). However, such associations did not reach at a significance level when additional covariates were included. In this first study looking at prospective relation of metabolic syndrome with total diet quality in a Korean population, study findings suggest some protective role of better diet quality in preventing future metabolic syndrome. But no convincing evidence was observed in this study.
Adult* ; Cholesterol ; Cohort Studies* ; Diet* ; Diet, Mediterranean ; Education ; Energy Intake ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Genome ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence* ; Male ; Prospective Studies*

The purpose of this study was to verify whether Mediterranean diet, which proved to have a significant effect on preventing dementia for people aged 65 or older, could be well modified to be a Korean-style Mediterranean diet. This study was performed as a randomized-controlled trial for 6 weeks. Functional physical changes, cognitive scores, depression scores and dietary changes were all assessed. The walking speed (P<0.001) and the cognitive scores were statistically improved in only the experimental group (P<0.001), and the depression scores were also significantly improved in only the experimental group (P<0.01). The dietary intake showed a 30% improvement for consuming more than 7 cups per day of vegetables and fruits. When the participants were contacted four months after the end of the study, 90% of them said that the Korean-style Mediterranean diet was feasible and 100% said the nutrition interventions helped them maintain the diet during their daily lives. The results suggest that although the Mediterranean diet can be difficult to apply, any limitations of this healthy diet can be overcome.
Aged ; Dementia ; Depression ; Diet ; Diet, Mediterranean ; Fruit ; Humans ; Vegetables ; Walking

No abstract available.
Atrial Fibrillation ; Brain ; Cohort Studies ; Diet, Mediterranean ; Humans ; Motor Activity

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To compare five indices of adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD) among adults living in the Mediterranean region. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A total of 100 healthy Lebanese adults aged between 18 and 65 years. Face-to-face interviews to collect sociodemographic and medical information, to take anthropometric measurements, and to fill a validated, culturally adapted, food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The score for each item was calculated following the recommendations for each corresponding index. The five MD indices were Mediterranean Diet Scale (MDScale), Mediterranean Food Pattern (MFP), MD Score (MDS), Short Mediterranean Diet Questionnaire (SMDQ), and the MedDiet score. RESULTS: Significant correlations were detected between items with P-values < 0.001. Minimal agreement was seen between MDScale and MedDiet score and maximal agreement between MDS and MedDiet score. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that MDS and MedDiet scores had significant correlations with fiber and olive oil intake, main components of the MD. MDScale showed a significant correlation with waist-to-hip ratio and with total energy intake but none of the five indices was correlated to body mass index (BMI). CONCLUSIONS: The indices that showed the highest correlation with variables related to the MD are the MDScale and the MedDiet score; therefore, they can be used to assess our future study populations. Based on the current results, more than half of the study population was non-adherent to the MD and adherence to this diet did not appear to protect against being overweight (BMI ≥ 30).
Adult ; Body Mass Index ; Diet ; Diet, Mediterranean ; Energy Intake ; Humans ; Mediterranean Region ; Multivariate Analysis ; Olive Oil ; Overweight ; Waist-Hip Ratio

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause for cancer incidence in male. Although this high incidence is due to prostate specific antigen screening, other risk-factors, such as diet, might also be involved. The results of previous studies on the association between prostate cancer risk and individual dietary components have been conflicting. Thus, evaluation by dietary pattern analysis rather than individual dietary factors is suggested. The purpose of this study was to review the association of prostate cancer with a priori dietary indices, which are less studied and reviewed to date compared to a posteriori indices. Studies reviewed in this research were published from January 1997 to March 2017. Seventeen studies with nine indices were selected. In Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), all four studies were non-significant. In Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), 3 out of 4 studies significantly increased risk by 1.33–2.39 times, suggesting that a higher pro-inflammatory diet may be a possible prostate cancer risk factor. In Oxidative Balance Score (OBS), 2 out of 5 studies had decreased risk by 0.28 and 0.34 times, whereas 1 study had increased risk by 1.17 times. Among other indices, Healthy Eating Index (HEI) and prostate cancer dietary index were associated with decreased risk, while the results from 2 studies of Low Carbohydrate, High Protein Diet (LCHP) score were conflicting. In conclusion, we observed that it is insufficient to support the association between a priori indices and prostate cancer risk, except for MDS and DII, which had relatively constant results among studies. Therefore, further studies are required to identify consistent criteria for each a priori index, and should be conducted actively in various populations.
Diet ; Diet, Mediterranean ; Eating ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Prostate* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatic Neoplasms* ; Risk Factors

Reducing caloric intake is important for weight loss and obesity; a reduction of ~500-700 kcal/day has been recommended previously. However, only a minority of individuals can successfully sustain such a reduced caloric intake. Therefore, many specialized diet programs have been proposed. Until now, many experts have recommended low-fat diets in various countries, but very-low-carbohydrate diets have recently garnered attention in Korea. The various effects of changing the dietary compositions of macro- and micronutrients have been debated. The majority of large-scale studies have demonstrated that total caloric intake, rather than the composition of macronutrients or the consumption of a specialized diet, is important for successful weight loss. While many cross-sectional studies have investigated specialized diet programs for patients with non-alcoholic liver disease, no randomized controlled studies have been performed, except for some that investigated the effect of high consumption of unsaturated fatty acids as part of the Mediterranean diet.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diet* ; Diet, Fat-Restricted ; Diet, Mediterranean ; Energy Intake ; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver Diseases ; Micronutrients ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease* ; Obesity ; Weight Loss

Already in the 90s, Khachaturian stated that postponing dementia onset by five years would decrease the prevalence of the late onset dementia by 50%. After two decades of lack of success in dementia drug discovery and development, and knowing that worldwide, currently 36 million patients have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, a number that will double by 2030 and triple by 2050, the World Health Organization and the Alzheimer's Disease International declared that prevention of cognitive decline was a 'public health priority.' Numerous longitudinal studies and meta-analyses were conducted to analyze the risk and protective factors for dementia. Among the 93 identified risk factors, seven major modifiable ones should be considered: low education, sedentary lifestyle, midlife obesity, midlife smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and midlife depression. Three other important modifiable risk factors should also be added to this list: midlife hypercholesterolemia, late life atrial fibrillation, and chronic kidney disease. After their identification, numerous authors attempted to establish dementia risk scores; however, the proposed values were not convincing. Identifying the possible interventions, able to either postpone or delay dementia has been an important challenge. Observational studies focused on a single life-style intervention increased the global optimism concerning these possibilities. However, a recent extensive literature review of the randomized control trials (RCTs) conducted before 2014 yielded negative results. The first results of RCTs of multimodal interventions (Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability, Multidomain Alzheimer Prevention Study, and Prediva) brought more optimism. Lastly, interventions targeting compounds of beta amyloid started in 2012 and no results have yet been published.
Alzheimer Disease ; Amyloid ; Atrial Fibrillation ; Cognition Disorders ; Cognitive Reserve ; Dementia ; Depression ; Diet, Mediterranean ; Drug Discovery ; Education ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Hypertension ; Longitudinal Studies ; Motor Activity ; Obesity ; Optimism ; Prevalence ; Protective Factors ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Risk Factors ; Sedentary Lifestyle ; Smoke ; Smoking ; World Health Organization

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study addressed the question whether the composition of supposedly 'healthy' or 'unhealthy' dietary regimes has a calorie-independent short-term effect on biomarkers of metabolic stress and vascular risk in healthy individuals. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Healthy male volunteers (age 29.5 +/- 5.9 years, n = 39) were given a standardized baseline diet for two weeks before randomization into three groups of different dietary regimes: fast food, Mediterranean and German cooking style. Importantly, the amount of calories consumed per day was identical in all three groups. Blood samples were analyzed for biomarkers of cardiovascular risk and metabolic stress after two weeks of the baseline diet and after two weeks of the assigned dietary regime. RESULTS: No dietary intervention affected the metabolic or cardiovascular risk profile when compared in-between groups or compared to baseline. Subjects applied to the Mediterranean diet showed a statistically significant increase of uric acid compared to baseline and compared to the German diet group. Plasma concentrations of urea were significantly higher in both the fast food group and the Mediterranean group, when compared to baseline and compared to the German diet group. No significant differences were detected for the levels of vitamins, trace elements or metabolic stress markers (8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine, malondialdehyde and methylglyoxal, a potent glycating agent). Established parameters of vascular risk (e.g. LDL-cholesterol, lipoprotein(a), homocysteine) were not significantly changed in-between groups or compared to baseline during the intervention period. CONCLUSIONS: The calorie-controlled dietary intervention caused neither protective nor harmful short-term effects regarding established biomarkers of vascular or metabolic risk. When avoiding the noxious effects of overfeeding, healthy individuals can possess the metabolic capacity to compensate for a potentially disadvantageous composition of a certain diet.
Biomarkers* ; Cooking ; Diet ; Diet, Mediterranean ; Fast Foods* ; Humans ; Lipoprotein(a) ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; Oxidative Stress ; Plasma ; Pyruvaldehyde ; Random Allocation ; Stress, Physiological ; Trace Elements ; Urea ; Uric Acid ; Vitamins ; Volunteers

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study addressed the question whether the composition of supposedly 'healthy' or 'unhealthy' dietary regimes has a calorie-independent short-term effect on biomarkers of metabolic stress and vascular risk in healthy individuals. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Healthy male volunteers (age 29.5 +/- 5.9 years, n = 39) were given a standardized baseline diet for two weeks before randomization into three groups of different dietary regimes: fast food, Mediterranean and German cooking style. Importantly, the amount of calories consumed per day was identical in all three groups. Blood samples were analyzed for biomarkers of cardiovascular risk and metabolic stress after two weeks of the baseline diet and after two weeks of the assigned dietary regime. RESULTS: No dietary intervention affected the metabolic or cardiovascular risk profile when compared in-between groups or compared to baseline. Subjects applied to the Mediterranean diet showed a statistically significant increase of uric acid compared to baseline and compared to the German diet group. Plasma concentrations of urea were significantly higher in both the fast food group and the Mediterranean group, when compared to baseline and compared to the German diet group. No significant differences were detected for the levels of vitamins, trace elements or metabolic stress markers (8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine, malondialdehyde and methylglyoxal, a potent glycating agent). Established parameters of vascular risk (e.g. LDL-cholesterol, lipoprotein(a), homocysteine) were not significantly changed in-between groups or compared to baseline during the intervention period. CONCLUSIONS: The calorie-controlled dietary intervention caused neither protective nor harmful short-term effects regarding established biomarkers of vascular or metabolic risk. When avoiding the noxious effects of overfeeding, healthy individuals can possess the metabolic capacity to compensate for a potentially disadvantageous composition of a certain diet.
Biomarkers* ; Cooking ; Diet ; Diet, Mediterranean ; Fast Foods* ; Humans ; Lipoprotein(a) ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; Oxidative Stress ; Plasma ; Pyruvaldehyde ; Random Allocation ; Stress, Physiological ; Trace Elements ; Urea ; Uric Acid ; Vitamins ; Volunteers