Efficacy of nutrition therapy with food rich in methionine for treating nonalcoholic fatty liver

Introduction. Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver disease (NAFLD) can lead to Non Alcoholicsteatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis, and liver cancer. The treatment for NAFLD involvesmodification of caloric intake and physical activity. NAFLD has a pro-oxidant nature; therefore,it is logical to suppose that the antioxidant methionine can be used as a treatment for this disease. Aim. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of high-methionine dietary therapy on patients with NAFLD.Materials and methods. A randomized clinical study was conducted overthree months. In this study, 121 NAFLD patients participated, and the age of the participantswas & GE; 20 years (experimental group included 56 and control group 65), all of whom wererandomized and matched by sex, recluted from the ISSSTE hospital in Xalapa, Mexico. The patients were instructed to consume food to cover the recommended methionine daily doses and the daily amount consumed was calculated. Methionine effect was measured as NAFLDregression and quality of life improvement.Results. Nutritional therapy induced NAFLDregression and diminished central fat accumulation, blood pressure, and the fatty liver index. Some parameters, such as liver enzymes, did not changed. The quality of life of patientsimproved after treatment.Conclusions. In this study, we show a hepatoprotective effectinduced only in three months of chances in the diet, thus, a longer diet may generate more relevant benefits in the resistant parameters of our study