Asian Journal of Food Research and Nutrition

Background: Fatty liver disease is an increasingly important liver disorder associated with dietary patterns, excess body weight, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity and other lifestyle-related factors. Dietary transitions characterised by increased consumption of refined foods, processed products, sweets, sugar-containing beverages and energy-dense foods may contribute to hepatic fat accumulation and metabolic dysfunction. Aim: The present study examined the food consumption patterns, body mass index (BMI), lifestyle behaviours and distribution of fatty liver severity among patients attending a tertiary care hospital in Nashik, Maharashtra.

Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 100 patients aged 18–60 years diagnosed with fatty liver disease. The sample comprised 50 patients with Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (AFLD) and 50 with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Purposive sampling was used. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire covering sociodemographic characteristics, clinical history, anthropometric measurements, lifestyle behaviours and a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Fatty liver severity was categorised into Grade I, Grade II and Grade III. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the findings. The study methodology specified χ² testing for categorical associations; however, grade-specific cross-tabulations and inferential results were not reported in the study.

Results: Seventy percent of participants were male and 30% were female. The BMI distribution showed that 34% of participants were in the 25–27 kg/m² range, 15% in the 28–30 kg/m² range, 6% in the 31–33 kg/m² range, 6% in the 34–36 kg/m² range and 1% in the 37–39 kg/m² range. Dietary assessment demonstrated frequent consumption of cereals, vegetables, pulses and dairy products alongside regular consumption of bakery products, sweets, fast foods, soft drinks and packaged foods. Cereals were consumed daily by 72% and vegetables by 60%, whereas bakery products were consumed daily by 34%, sweets by 9%, fast foods by 8%, and soft drinks by 23%. Among the 50 patients with AFLD, 48% reported daily alcohol consumption and 48% occasional consumption. Grade II fatty liver was the most common severity category (51%), followed by Grade I (36%) and Grade III (13%).

Conclusion: The findings demonstrate the coexistence of elevated BMI ranges, unhealthy food consumption practices, alcohol exposure and inadequate physical activity among patients with fatty liver disease. Grade II was the predominant severity grade. The findings support the clinical importance of dietary assessment, weight management, physical activity and lifestyle modification in fatty liver disease. However, definitive statistical associations between individual dietary or lifestyle variables and Grade I–III severity require analysis of the original patient-level dataset.