Publications

@article{Vijay2022-jr,

title = {Development of food group tree-based analysis and its 

 association with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and 

 co-morbidities in a south Indian population: A large 

 case-control study},

author = {Amrita Vijay and Amina Al-Awadi and Jane Chalmers and Leena Balakumaran and Jane I Grove and Ana M Valdes and Moira A Taylor and Kotacherry T Shenoy and Guruprasad P Aithal},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-07-01},

journal = {Nutrients},

volume = {14},

number = {14},

pages = {2808},

publisher = {MDPI AG},

abstract = {BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a 

 global problem growing in parallel to the epidemics of obesity 

 and diabetes, with South Asians being particularly susceptible. 

 Nutrition and behaviour are important modifiers of the disease; 

 however, studies to date have only described dietary patterns 

 and nutrients associated with susceptibility to NAFLD. METHODS: 

 This cross-sectional case-control study included 993 NAFLD 

 patients and 973 healthy controls from Trivandrum (India). 

 Dietary data was collected using a locally validated food 

 frequency questionnaire. A tree-based classification categorised 

 2165 ingredients into three levels (food groups, sub-types, and 

 cooking methods) and intakes were associated with clinical 

 outcomes. RESULTS: NAFLD patients had significantly higher 

 consumption of refined rice, animal fat, red meat, refined 

 sugar, and fried foods, and had lower consumption of vegetables, 

 pulses, nuts, seeds, and milk compared to controls. The 

 consumption of red meat, animal fat, nuts, and refined rice was 

 positively associated with NAFLD diagnosis and the presence of 

 fibrosis, whereas consumption of leafy vegetables, fruits, and 

 dried pulses was negatively associated. Fried food consumption 

 was positively associated with NAFLD, whilst boiled food 

 consumption had a negative association. Increased consumption of 

 animal fats was associated with diabetes, hypertension, and 

 cardiovascular outcomes among those with NAFLD, whereas 

 consumption of wholegrain rice was negatively associated with 

 these clinical-related outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The tree-based 

 approach provides the first comprehensive method of classifying 

 food intakes to enable the identification of specific dietary 

 factors associated with NAFLD and related clinical outcomes. 

 This could inform culturally sensitive dietary guidelines to 

 reduce risk of NAFLD development and/or its progression.},

keywords = {case-control, co-morbidities, dietary   factors, food groups, NAFLD, South Asians},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}