Diet is a modifiable key factor targeted in prevention and management of
nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim was to study the
effect of Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) on clinical, biochemical, and
inflammatory profile in NAFLD patients with simple steatosis. Potential
associations of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3
(STAT3) rs2293152 genotype to diet composition and patients' profile
were investigated. In this nonrandomized, open-label, 24-week
prospective intervention study, 44 untreated NAFLD patients with
nonsignificant fibrosis received nutritional counsel to increase
adherence to MedDiet. Adherence to MedDiet was estimated with
MedDietScore. Furthermore, we genotyped STAT3 rs2293152 single
nucleotide polymorphism and performed clinical and inflammatory
measurements. In all patients, MedDietScore increased and anthropometric
indices improved, whereas liver imaging, liver fibrosis score, blood
pressure, fasting glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), C-reactive
protein (CRP), visfatin, and oxidized low-density lipoprotein levels
were also significantly ameliorated compared with baseline (P < .05). No
association of STAT3 polymorphism with diet composition was found.
Comparisons of mean differences between G- and C-carriers at the end
point of the trial showed that only visfatin was significantly
associated with the STAT3 genotype (-0.0 +/- 4.6 vs. -4.2 +/- 3.9, P =
.04, respectively). Carrying the G-allele was associated with an
increase of the visfatin levels (3.4 +/- 1.5 ng/mL, P = .028). Our
results show amelioration of clinical, biochemical, and inflammatory
biomarkers in NAFLD patients in response to MedDiet. STAT3 rs2293152
G-carriers experienced more beneficial changes at the end of the
intervention compared with baseline. An association between visfatin
levels and STAT3 genotype has been shown for the first time