Liver fat change in obese children after a 1-year nutrition-behavior intervention.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate whether a 1-year nutrition-behavior intervention based on normocaloric balanced diet and physical exercise may reduce liver fat in obese children.


METHODS
Twenty-six obese children (11 boys and 15 girls), aged 6 to 14 years, underwent anthropometric, nutritional, metabolic, and liver magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations at baseline and after a 1-year nutrition-behavior intervention. Anthropometry included weight, height, waist and hip circumference, and total upper arm area. Body mass index z scores were calculated. Biochemistry included serum aminotransferases, lipid profile, glucose, and insulin. Liver steatosis was judged as hepatic fat fraction (FF) by MRI and was > or =9%.


RESULTS
Prevalence of steatosis was 34.6% at baseline and declined to 7.7% after intervention (P < 0.0001). Mean (95% CI) reduction of liver FF was 8.0% (4.0%-12.0%). In 77.8% of children with liver steatosis at baseline, the FF declined lower than 9% at the end of intervention, going from a mean (SD) of 18.7% (9.1) to 1.3% (4.1), (P < 0.0001). At the end of the intervention, children showed a mean reduction in body mass index z score of 0.26 (0.11-0.41) and waist circumference of 1.46 (0.34-2.60) cm. Triglycerides, total cholesterol, apolipoprotein A1, apolipoprotein B, ApoA1/ApoB ratio, and gamma-glutamyltransferase plasma values in plasma decreased at the end of intervention (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that in obese children nutritional-behavior interventions may reduce the liver fat.
Pozzato
Carlo
C
Department of Radiology, San Paolo Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
Verduci
Elvira
E
Scaglioni
Silvia
S
Radaelli
Giovanni
G
Salvioni
Michela
M
Rovere
Antonio
A
Cornalba
Gianpaolo
G
Riva
Enrica
E
Giovannini
Marcello
M
D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D004035:Diet Therapy; D015444:Exercise; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*; D015995:Prevalence; D055105:Waist Circumference; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000097:blood
D008055:Lipids; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase