Decreased Serum zinc, selenium, and vitamin E as possible risk factors of hepatic fibrosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Backgrounds The incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been significantly growing in recent years. Although the pathophysiology of fibrosis progression in NAFLD is not yet known, oxidative stress and inflammation have been known to have a major role in the development of NASH. Understanding the impact of micronutrients in NAFLD could potentially help us better understand NAFLD pathogenesis. Aims Assessing the serum levels of Zn, Se, and Vitamin E and their relation to the development of hepatic fibrosis in NAFLD patients. Methods This study included 80 NAFLD patients and 40 healthy controls. All of the patients were subjected to abdominal ultrasound and FibroScan examination (to estimate hepatic fibrosis and steatosis degree), and the serum levels of Zn, Se, and vitamin E were evaluated. Results A statistically significant difference in the serum levels of Zn and Se was observed between the NAFLD group and the control group (P-value = 0.04 and 0.05, respectively). The serum levels of Zn and Se were independently related to the presence of hepatic fibrosis in NAFLD. However, serum vitamin E was not related to the severity of NAFLD. Furthermore, no significant difference in the levels of Zn, Se, and vitamin E was observed between the different groups of NAFLD patients categorized according to the degree of steatosis and the control group. Conclusions Reduced serum levels of Zn and Se can be considered a possible risk factor for hepatic fibrosis in NAFLD. Deficiency in these micronutrients could play a role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD.