The comparison of resting metabolic rate between biopsy-proven non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and non-alcoholic fatty liver patients.

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Resting metabolic (RMR) rate was shown to be associated with chronic inflammatory conditions. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether RMR differs significantly in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) from patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) without evidence of inflammation.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Forty-two biopsy-proven NASH were compared with 37 NAFLD patients, who had normal serum transaminases and no evidence of fibrosis based on transient elastography examination. In the interviews, patients' levels of physical activity and dietary habits were recorded, and bioimpedance analysis was performed. The RMRs were calculated using an indirect calorimeter.

RESULTS

RMR did not significantly differ between patients with NASH and NAFLD without steatohepatitis in both genders (p=0.695 in males, p=0.256 in females). However, only in female patients RMR rate per body weight was significantly higher in patients with NASH (22.3 [17.2-26.6] cal/kg to 20.2 [12.2-26.1] cal/kg, p=0.020).

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, RMR was not significantly associated with steatohepatitis in patients with NAFLD. Considering the minimizing the effects of body weight, RMR rate per body weight may be used over RMR in the evaluation of the inflammatory status of the NAFLD.