Table 3. Distribution of hepatic steatosis as well as non-invasive scores for hepatic fibrosis compared among patients grouped according to their frequency of nut consumption.
| Patient characteristics | <1 time/week, n = 2502 | 1–6 times/week, n = 1506 | 1 time/day, n = 505 | ≥2 times/day, n = 142 | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAFLD* | 1184 (48.1%) | 594 (40.7%) | 158 (31.7%) | 48 (34.0%) | <0.001 | |
| Fib-4 score | 1.16 (0.89–1.53) | 1.12 (0.88–1.43) | 1.17 (0.95–1.58) | 1.19 (1.00–1.54) | <0.001 | |
| >2.67 | 96 (3.9%) | 30 (2.0%) | 16 (3.2%) | 5 (3.5%) | 0.014 | |
| >3.25 | 58 (2.3%) | 20 (1.3%) | 10 (2.0%) | 1 (0.7%) | 0.108 | |
| NFS | -1.64 (-2.41-[-0.70]) | -1.88 (-2.51-[-1.17]) | -1.81 (-2.49-[-0.93]) | -1.81 (-2.30-[-0.83]) | <0.001 | |
| >0.676 | 64 (5.6%) | 17 (1.9%) | 9 (3.0%) | 2 (2.4%) | <0.001 | |
| Forns-Index | 4.51±1.55 | 4.29±1.36 | 4.37±1.37 | 4.31±1.31 | <0.001 | |
| >6.9 | 171 (6.9%) | 51 (3.4%) | 21 (4.2%) | 3 (2.1%) | <0.001 | |
| ALT/ULN | 0.50 (0.38–0.71) | 0.50 (0.37–0.69) | 0.49 (0.37–0.66) | 0.49 (0.37–0.58) | 0.055 | |
| AST/ULN | 0.60 (0.51–0.74) | 0.60 (0.49–0.71) | 0.57 (0.49–0.71) | 0.60 (0.51–0.66) | 0.056 | |
| GGT/ULN | 0.69 (0.46–1.18) | 0.64 (0.44–1.08) | 0.56 (0.38–0.87) | 0.51 (0.37–0.82) | <0.001 | |
* Data available in 4563 patients.
ULN was regarded as 50 U/L for ALT and AST in male patients and 35 U/L in female patients.
Abbreviations: ALT–alanine aminotransferase; AST–aspartate aminotransferase; GGT–gamma-glutamyl transferase; NAFLD–non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; NFS–NAFLD fibrosis score; ULN–upper limit of normal.