Fast Food Consumption and the Risk of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver in Adults: A Community-Based Case-Control Study

Background: Despite many studies showing a correlation between fast food consumption and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) known as the silent death, few studies have investigated the effects of different types of fast foods on this disease. This research aimed to evaluate the effect of consuming different types of fast foods on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Materials and Methods: In this community based case-control study, 96 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease whose disease was confirmed by a radiologist based on ultrasonography results, and 96 respondents with normal ultrasonography results were recruited as the case and control groups, respectively. The study checklist included demographic and anthropometric information, physical activity, as well as special items asking about the frequency and type of fast food consumed. Parametric (such as t-test) and non-parametric tests (such as Chi-Square and Mann Whitney U tests) were used to compare qualitative and quantitative variables, respectively. Further, logistic regression analysis was performed to find the effects of consuming different types of fast food on NAFLD, giving Odds Ratio along with 95% confidence interval. Results: The mean number of monthly fast food consumption in patients (7.59±5.5) was significantly greater than that in the control group (5.35±4.7). Among various types of fast foods, the risk of consuming Pizza was highest in developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (OR=4.4, 95%CI= 1.9-9.9), with the lowest risk having belonged to chicken burgers (OR=0.7, 95%CI= 0.38-1.57). Conclusions: In general, fast-food consumption has significant effects on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and increasing the frequency of fast food consumption, thereby increasing the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.