Loading
Liver Disease Diagnosis and Treatment / Liver Diseases and Immunity / Gallbladder and Bile Duct Disorders · Journal article
Frontiers in Nutrition · August 11, 2026
Early or partial results. Treat as a signal, not a conclusion.
This retrospective observational study of 600 clinic attendees found that Western dietary patterns were associated with NAFLD and gallstone disease in unadjusted models, but these associations became non-significant after controlling for waist circumference, energy intake, and physical inactivity. Western diet followers showed higher triglycerides, ALT, fasting glucose, and malondialdehyde, and lower HDL-C, but the primary hepatobiliary disease associations did not survive full adjustment.
Retrospective observational association study. Adults aged 20–70 years visiting tertiary-care clinics; no specific exclusion criteria stated.. Intervention: Western dietary pattern (as identified by principal component analysis of food frequency questionnaire). Compared with: Healthy dietary pattern. n = 600. Not stated.
Western diet associated with NAFLD in crude/partially adjusted models; after full adjustment: OR = 1.37 (95% CI: 0.68–2.75, p = 0.384) Western diet associated with gallstone disease in crude/partially adjusted models; after full adjustment: OR = 1.83 (95% CI: 0.93–3.61, p = 0.080) Western diet followers showed higher ALT, triglycerides, total cholesterol, fasting glucose, and malondialdehyde, and lower HDL-C (all p < 0.001)
Safety was not reported in the material analysed. Check the source before drawing any conclusion about harm.
The loss of statistical significance for primary outcomes after adjustment suggests that apparent dietary associations were largely driven by confounding via adiposity and physical activity rather than diet itself. Clinicians should interpret this as insufficient evidence that dietary pattern alone—independent of weight, waist circumference, and activity—alters hepatobiliary disease risk.
Retrospective observational study without causal inference; primary associations become non-significant after adjustment for confounders, limiting clinical actionability.
As stated by the source record.
Quoted from the source exactly as published.
The loss of statistical significance for primary outcomes after adjustment suggests that apparent dietary associations were largely driven by confounding via adiposity and physical activity rather than diet itself. Clinicians should interpret this as insufficient evidence that dietary pattern alone—independent of weight, waist circumference, and activity—alters hepatobiliary disease risk.
Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.
Background Dietary habits are important factors of metabolic and hepatobiliary health. However, there is still a lack of research on the relationships between gallstone disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and regular eating habits. Objective To investigate the associations between dietary patterns and hepatobiliary outcomes, including NAFLD, gallstone disease, and related biochemical markers, in adults who visit tertiary-care clinics. Methods This retrospective observational association study involved 600 adults aged 20–70 years with a principal component analysis of a validated food frequency questionnaire and categorized them into healthy ( n = 285) and Western ( n = 315) diets. Hepatobiliary health was assessed by anthropometric measurements, fasting biochemical (alanine aminotransferase, fasting glucose, lipid profile, malondialdehyde) measurements, and abdominal ultrasonography. The odds ratios (ORs) of NAFLD and gallstone disease were estimated using logistic regression to control age, sex and BMI. The effect modification of overall and central adiposity was studied through stratified analyses. Results Higher BMI, a wider waist circumference, more energy intake, and less physical activity were all related to following a Western diet (all p 0.001). In crude and partially adjusted models, Western dietary patterns were associated to increased odds of NAFLD and gallstone disease; however, these relationships were not statistically significant after additional adjustment for waist circumference, total energy intake, and physical inactivity (NAFLD: OR = 1.37, 95% CI: 0.68–2.75, p = 0.384; gallstone disease: OR = 1.83, 95% CI: 0.93–3.61, p = 0.080). Participants following a Western dietary pattern exhibited higher levels of ALT, triglycerides, total cholesterol, fasting glucose, and malondialdehyde, along with lower HDL-C concentrations (all p 0.001). Most of the participants with overweight, obesity, or abdominal obesity showed the strongest associations. Conclusion These results shed more light on the association between dietary patterns and hepatobiliary health. More research on dietary-pattern-oriented approaches is necessary to fully comprehend their potential impact in hepatobiliary health.
Taken from the source record, never inferred. Follow any of these and new work involving them reaches your briefing.