ASPO Abstracts
Relationship Between a Traditional Mexican Diet and Hepatic Steatosis and Fibrosis Among Mexican-Origin Hispanic Adults at Risk for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Category: Lifestyles Behavior, Energy Balance & Chemoprevention
Conference Year: 2023
Abstract Body:
Background: Hispanics of Mexican-origin (MO) have disproportionate rates of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a disease influenced by dietary factors that also drive risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. Objective: To investigate the relationship between adherence to the traditional Mexican diet (TMexS) and NAFLD-related clinical endpoints (hepatic steatosis and fibrosis), in MO Hispanic adults. Methods: Data from 280 MO Hispanic adults (N = 102 men, 178 women) enrolled in a cross-sectional observational study were analyzed. The TMexS (range: 0-12; a higher score indicating higher adherence to a traditional Mexican diet), was calculated from the average of three 24-hour dietary recalls. Hepatic steatosis and fibrosis measurements were assessed using hepatic transient elastography (Fibroscan®). Models were adjusted for age, sex, BMI (kg/m2), energy intake (kcals/day), and leisure- time physical activity (min/week). Linear regression models testing the association between TMexS and hepatic steatosis and fibrosis were run overall, and stratified by factors with a significant (p<0.05) interaction (i.e., sex; birthplace; PNPLA3 risk allele). Results: Mean TMexS score was 5.9 ± 2.0, hepatic steatosis score was 289.6 ± 49.0 dB/m, and fibrosis score was 5.6 ± 2.2 kPa. No statistically significant associations were found between TMexS and hepatic steatosis or fibrosis in the overall sample. However, sex modified the relationship between TMexS and hepatic steatosis (P-interaction = 0.04) and fibrosis (P-interaction = 0.04). Effect modification was also found between TMexS and steatosis for birthplace (P-interaction = 0.02), and PNPLA3 risk allele carrier status (P-interaction = 0.04). Upon stratification, statistically significant results were only observed for the U.S.-born group; for every additional point in TMexS score there was a 5.7 lower hepatic steatosis points (95% CI: -10.8, -0.4, P-value = 0.03). Conclusion: Higher adherence to a traditional Mexican diet (as measured by the TMexS) was associated with lower hepatic steatosis among U.S.-born, but not foreign-born, MO Hispanic adults. The role of sex, birthplace, and PNPLA3 risk allele status may be important factors to consider as we advance our understanding of NAFLD in this high- risk population.
Keywords: Mexican-Origin Hispanics, Traditional Mexican Diet, Hepatic Steatosis, Hepatic Fibrosis