"Liver Fat Reduced Without Weight Loss... The Food Eaten Daily for Six Weeks"

Clinical Trial of 79 Patients With Fatty Liver Over Six Weeks
Greater Reduction in Liver Fat Observed in the Tomato Group

A study has found that maintaining a habit of regularly consuming tomatoes may help improve fatty liver disease. Even in the absence of significant weight changes, the group that consumed tomatoes showed a greater reduction in liver fat than the control group.

Tomato. Pixabay

Recently, an international research team led by the Italian National Institute of Gastroenterology published a paper in the international journal "Nutrients," reporting that patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) who consumed tomatoes daily for six weeks saw a greater reduction in liver fat compared to patients who did not eat tomatoes.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease is a condition characterized by excessive accumulation of fat in the liver and is closely related to metabolic abnormalities such as obesity and insulin resistance. If symptoms worsen, it can progress to liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, making weight management and dietary improvements important.

The researchers focused on tomatoes, a key ingredient in the Mediterranean diet. Tomatoes are rich in antioxidants such as lycopene, and these compounds have been suggested to potentially affect inflammation, oxidative stress, and liver lipid metabolism.

The researchers divided 79 adults with fatty liver and a body mass index (BMI) below 30 into two groups and observed them over six weeks. Of these, 42 participants consumed 200 grams of tomatoes and 50 grams of tomato sauce daily, while the remaining 37 did not consume any tomato products.

After six weeks, the controlled attenuation parameter (CAP), which measures the degree of fat accumulation in the liver, decreased in both groups. However, the reduction was greater in the group that consumed tomatoes. Even after adjusting for other factors, the analysis showed that the decrease in liver fat was statistically significant in the tomato group.

Notably, throughout the study period, there were no significant changes in body weight, BMI, waist circumference, or body fat between the two groups. There were also no significant group differences in blood sugar, blood lipids, inflammatory markers, or liver enzymes.

The researchers explained that consistently consuming tomatoes and tomato sauce may contribute to the reduction of liver fat independently of weight loss.

However, the study has limitations, as it included only 79 participants and lasted just six weeks. The researchers emphasized the need for long-term studies with larger populations to confirm whether the effects of tomato consumption are sustained.

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