The association of dietary acid load with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease among Iranian adults

Acid-base status, which can be affected by the dietary acid load (DAL), has been related to risk factors for non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD). In the current study, we investigated the association between DAL and NAFLD among Iranian adults. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 675 participants, aged 20-60 years old. The dietary intake of participants was assessed using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, and the potential renal acid load (PRAL) and net endogenous acid production (NEAP) scores were calculated. Multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate the risk of NAFLD according to the PRAL and NEAP categories. The mean age of the participants was 38.1 ± 8.8 years old. The median of PRAL and NEAP were -8.13 and -9.05 mEq/day, respectively. In this study, the potential confounders including age, sex, leisure time activity, and total energy were adjusted in the multivariable-adjusted model. By using logistic regression, no significant association was observed between PEAL and NEAP with NAFLD. (OR=1.03, 95% CI: 0.66-1.60, P-value=0.905 and OR=1.12, 95% CI: 0.72-1.75, P-value=0.611, respectively) after adjustment for potential confounders. Longitudinal studies should be conducted to evaluate the association between PRAL and NEAP with NAFLD among adults.