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Results of a study by Lei Yu of the
Division of Gastroenterology at the University of Washington, Seattle, and
colleagues indicate that patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection should
avoid eating foods with cholesterol, which is present in meat and dairy
products.
The researchers analyzed data from
608 participants in the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment Against
Cirrhosis Trial who had advanced fibrosis and compensated cirrhosis.
Researchers collected data on cholesterol intake from food frequency
questionnaires completed at the trial’s baseline and 1.8 years later. Clinical
progression referred to events, symptoms, or conditions, including death,
variceal bleeding, encephalopathy, ascites, peritonitis, Child-Turcotte-Pugh
score greater than or equal to 7, or hepatocellular carcinoma. Histologic
progression of disease referred to an increase in Ishak fibrosis score of two
or more points in a second liver biopsy, compared with the first.
After the researchers adjusted for
gender, age, race, cirrhosis, body mass index, treatment, alcohol use, smoking
status, general health, coffee consumption, and macronutrient intake, each
higher quartile of cholesterol intake was correlated with a 46-percent
increased risk of clinical or histologic progression. Compared with
HCV-infected patients in the lowest quartile of cholesterol intake (32–152
milligrams (mg)/day), patients in the third quartile (224–310 mg/day) and the
fourth quartile (greater than 310 mg/day) had significantly increased risk for
disease progression.
The researchers concluded that
higher amounts of dietary cholesterol are associated with greater risk of
disease progression among HCV-infected patients with advanced fibrosis or
compensated cirrhosis.
The full report, “Dietary
Cholesterol Intake Is Associated with Progression of Liver Disease in Patients
with Chronic Hepatitis C: Analysis of the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-term
Treatment Against Cirrhosis Trial,” was published online in the journal
Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology (2013; doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2013.05.018).
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus.
To learn more about The Friends of
AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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