Abstract
Serum cytokeratin 18 (CK18) fragment M30-antigen (M30) has been reported to be a useful indicator for distinguishing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) from normal or simple fatty liver, respectively. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the development and progression of NAFLD and dietary intake by using the serum M30 level as an indicator of NAFLD. Serum M30 levels, clinical characteristics, dietary intakes, and plasma fatty acid compositions were examined in 162 middle-aged Japanese men whose alcohol consumption was ＜20 g/day. The trends test showed that the serum M30 level was positively associated with BMI, serum AST, serum ALT, HOMA-IR, carbohydrate intake and delta 9 desaturase (D9D) index. Multivariate analysis showed that an increased M30 level was significantly associated with cereal intake and D9D index, and that the D9D index was related to carbohydrate intake. These findings suggest that the development and progression of NAFLD are due to an increase of carbohydrate intake, leading to a change in fatty acid metabolism, followed by an increase in the M30 level.
