Hepatoprotective Effects of Betalain Supplementation among Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Abstract

Pakistan has the lowest rate (13.5%) of “Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease” NAFLD meanwhile prevalence of NAFLD is 47% nationwide in Pakistan. However, betaine plays a considerable positive role in alleviating hepatic cell lipid accumulation by pacing the oxidation of fatty acid, the TCA cycle, and glycolytic processes in the liver. Objectives: To evaluate the comparative effect of conventional treatment with beetroot supplementation on inflammatory markers and the efficacy of betalain supplementation among patients with NAFLD. Methods: A total participant of 34 patients with NAFLD grade 1 older than 18 years were enrolled for the 12 weeks of the study, and participants were allocated into two groups, 17 each. In this study total of 45.6% of participants were male, and 54.4% were female. The groups G0 was considered as a control group with no supplementation, and group G1 where conventional treatment and supplementation were advised to participants. The 5g beetroot powder supplements in tablet form were given to the participants daily for 12 weeks. Results: The mean age group of NAFLD patients enrolled in the study was 43.042±3.79 years in G0, and in G1, it was 43.7±5.211. The mean BMI was 25.95 and 26 kg/m2 in both groups. There was a substantial (P<0.05) fall in cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels. High-density lipoprotein levels were also improved. On the other hand, C-reactive protein and TNF alpha levels were also. Conclusions: The current study concluded that beetroot supplementation could improve NAFLD patients' inflammation and lipid profile.