Comparing Fast Food Consumption in Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Healthy Individuals Referring to the Ultrasound Clinic of Moradi Hospital in Rafsanjan in 2017: A Case-Control Study

Background and Objectives: Previous studies have shown that dietary components can be associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease )NAFLD). However, few studies have investigated the effect of fast foods consumption on the NAFLD. The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the frequency of monthly consumption of twelve fast food types in two groups of NAFLD and healthy individuals. Materials and Methods: This case-control study was carried out with 192 participants in two groups of patients with and without NAFLD, 20-40 years old who referred to the ultrasound clinic of Moradi hospital in Rafsanjan in 2017. The two groups were matched in terms of age, sex, physical activity, body mass index and economic status. General information, physical activity and nutritional information checklists were completed by a blinded questioner on the allocation of people in the two groups. Risk values based on OR (Odds ratio) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated for checking the strength of the relationship between fast foods consumption and NAFLD. Results: The means of twelve fast foods monthly consumption were more in the cases than these means in the controls. But this differences were statistically significant only for Bandary,s food (p=0.013), Hot dog (p=0.018), Felafel (p=0.034) and cheeseburger (p<0.001). The more the number of annual frequency of fast foods consumption, the more the NAFLD risk (p=0.003). Conclusion: Based on the results, there seems to be a significant positive relationship between fast food consumption and NAFLD. More research is needed on the possible side effects of fast food consumption. Key words: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Fast-food, Case-control study   Funding: This study did not have any funds. Conflict of interest: None declared. Ethical approval: The Ethics Committee of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences approved the study          (IR.Rums.REC.1396/150).       How to cite this article: Doost Mohammadi F, Vazirinejad R, Rezaeian M. Comparing Fast Food Consumption in Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Healthy Individuals Referring to the Ultrasound Clinic of Moradi Hospital in Rafsanjan in 2017: A Case-Control Study. J Rafsanjan Univ Med Sci 2019; 18 (5): 483-96. [Farsi]