Serum vitamin-E levels and its relation to clinical features in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease with elevated ALT levels

Background : Oxidative stress and free oxygen radicals play an important role in the progression from simple fatty liver to steato- hepatitis. Deficiency of antioxidants like vitamin-E has been reported to trigger this progression. The main aims of our study were to measure plasma vitamin-E levels in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), to explain its relationship with biochemical parameters and to examine the possible therapeutic and prophy- lactic role of vitamin-E. Methods : 52 patients with NAFLD and elevated liver function tests were enrolled. After 6 months of follow up with a standard low-fat, low-calorie diet, changes in liver enzymes were evaluated. Results : Deficiency of vitamin-E was detected in 16 patients with NAFLD. Homogenous echo pattern of the liver and attenua- tion was found to be significantly higher in the low vitamin-E group (p = 0.03). The low vitamin-E group had significantly high- er levels of triglyceride (p = 0.02). After 6 months, patients in the low vitamin-E group did not respond to the diet and no decrease in ALT levels was detected (p = 0.04). Conclusion : This is the first study measuring the serum vita- min-E levels in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. A correlation was found between low vitamin-E levels, high triglyceride levels, as well as sonographic findings, both of which are negative prognos- tic factors causing progression of fatty liver to steatohepatitis. Patients with low vitamin-E levels did not respond to a classical diet for fatty liver disease. Based on the data, we suggest that diet alone is not adequate for patients with fatty liver, and vitamin-E supplementation should be added. (Acta gastroenterol. belg., 2006, 69, 5-11).