The Impact of Vitamin D as an Adjuvant Therapy in the Recovery of Patients with Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD): A Double-blind Randomized Clinical Trial Study

Abstract

background: The present study aims to evaluate the impact of vitamin D as an adjuvant therapy in the recovery of patients with NAFLD.

Methods: 202 patients with NAFLD were divided into intervention and control groups in a double-blind randomized clinical trial. Then, the patients in the intervention group received vitamin D supplementation at a dose of 50,000 units per week for 3 months. In the next step, routine NAFLD treatments were performed in both control and intervention groups. The outcome in the above-mentioned groups included serum level of vitamin D, ALT, AST, and grade of NAFLD.

Results: According to the ultrasound performed at the beginning, the number of patients with grade 1, 2, and 3 NAFLD were 89 (44.9%), 105 (53%), and 4 (2%), respectively. Comparing the serum level of liver enzymes (ALT and AST) and vitamin D level before and after the study in the intervention group indicated a significant decrease in the level of liver enzymes and an increase in the level of vitamin D. Therefore, the serum level of vitamin D in this group increased from 11.64 ± 4.41ng/ml to 33.08 ± 12.55 ng/ml. In addition, the serum level of vitamin D improved among 71% of patients in the intervention group after 3 months.

Conclusions: Using vitamin D supplementation in patients with NAFLD was better than the usual method alone. In addition, using vitamin D led to a four-fold improvement compared to the usual method alone and an appropriate serum level of vitamin D in patients.