Dietary retinol intake from different sources and the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a population-based study

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become an urgent public health issue with high global prevalence, but data on NAFLD are inconsistent. The association of dietary retinol intake with the NAFLD risk was not well documented in previous studies. Aims: To explore the relationship between dietary retinol intake from different sources and NAFLD risk among American adults. Methods: Data were collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2007 to 2014. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline models were used to estimate the relationship between dietary retinol intake and NAFLD risk. Results: 6,613 adult participants were included. After adjusting potential confounders, the odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of NAFLD for the highest quartile intake of total, animal-derived, plant-derived dietary retinol, were respectively 0.86 (0.69-1.06), 0.97 (0.74-1.28), and 0.78 (0.61-0.99), compared to the lowest quartile. Stratifying gender and age, plant-derived dietary retinol was inversely associated with NAFLD risk in females and participants aged <45 years. Dose-response analysis indicated a linear negative relationship between plant-derived dietary retinol intake and NAFLD risk. Conclusion: Consumption of plant-derived retinol was protective against NAFLD, especially in women and those aged <45 years among adult American.