Associations between serum lipophilic antioxidants levels and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease are moderated by adiposity.

We aimed to evaluate the association between serum lipophilic antioxidants and liver function and prevalent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The Nutrition and Health Examination Surveys data were used (randomly selected population, 2001 and 2006). A total of 9658 participants were included, of whom 44.6% had prevalent NAFLD. In adjusted logistic regression models, participants in the top quarter of vitamin A and E had 56% (95% confidence interval (95%CI): 45-68) and 34% (95%CI: 29-57) lower odds of NAFLD compared with participants in the bottom quarter. When levels of vitamin A changed from low (1.53) to high (1.95), the fatty liver index (FLI) in the low body mass index (BMI) category changed from 36.1 to 24.3. However, at the high BMI level, FLI changed from 84.3 to 65.1 suggesting that obesity modulates the effects of vitamin A on FLI. This study suggests a protective effect of antioxidants against NAFLD occurrence, which is likely modulated by adiposity. Given the cross-sectional design, our results need to be validated in prospective studies.