Association between Consumption of Edible Seaweeds and Newly Diagnosed Non-Alcohol Fatty Liver Disease: The TCLSIH Cohort Study

Background & Aims: Seaweeds are rich sources of anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, which are beneficial to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, whether seaweed consumption is associated with NAFLD is unknown. We investigated the association of seaweed consumption with newly diagnosed NAFLD in a large-scale adult population. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 24,572 participants aged over 18 years. NAFLD was diagnosed by results of liver ultrasonography and alcohol intake. Dietary information was assessed using a validated and standardized 100-item food frequency questionnaire. Multivariate logistic analysis was used to evaluate the association between seaweed consumption and NAFLD. Results: The prevalence of newly diagnosed NAFLD was 20.1%. After adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, and other dietary intakes, the multivariable adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of newly diagnosed NAFLD across seaweed consumption were 1.00 (reference) for almost never, 1.03 (0.93, 1.15) for <1 time/week, 1.01 (0.90, 1.13) for 1 time/week, and 0.84 (0.73, 0.96) for ≥1 times/week (P for trend <0.001). Stratified analyses suggested a potential effect modification by obesity status; the odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) across extreme quartiles was 0.77 (0.66, 0.91) in non-obese participants and 1.02 (0.79, 1.33) in obese participants. Conclusion: Seaweed consumption is negatively associated with NAFLD, especially in non-obese participants. Funding Statement: This study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81872611, 81673166), China. Declaration of Interests: The authors declared: "None." Ethics Approval Statement: The Institution Review Board of Tianjin Medical University approved the study and informed consent was obtained from all participants.