Associations between Dietary Nutrient Intakes and Hepatic Lipid Contents in NAFLD Patients Quantified by 1H-MRS and Dual-Echo MRI

Dietary habits are crucial in the progression of hepatic lipid accumulation and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, there are limited studies using H-1-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-1-MRS) and dual-echo in-phase and out-phase magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging (dual-echo MRI) to assess the effects of dietary nutrient intakes on hepatic lipid contents. In the present study, we recruited 36 female adults (NAFLD:control = 19:17) to receive questionnaires and medical examinations, including dietary intakes, anthropometric and biochemical measurements, and H-1-MRS and dual-echo MRI examinations. NAFLD patients were found to consume diets higher in energy, protein, fat, saturated fatty acid (SFA), and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA). Total energy intake was positively associated with hepatic fat fraction (HFF) and intrahepatic lipid (IHL) after adjustment for age and body-mass index (BMI) (HFF: = 0.24, p = 0.02; IHL: = 0.38, p = 0.02). Total fat intake was positively associated with HFF and IHL after adjustment for age, BMI and total energy intake (HFF: = 0.36, p = 0.03; IHL: = 0.42, p = 0.01). SFA intake was positively associated with HFF and IHL after adjustments (HFF: = 0.45, p = 0.003; IHL: = 1.16, p = 0.03). In conclusion, hepatic fat content was associated with high energy, high fat and high SFA intakes, quantified by H-1-MRS and dual-echo MRI in our population. Our findings are useful to provide dietary targets to prevent the hepatic lipid accumulation and NAFLD.