Khaberni - A recent Swedish study published in Nature Communications showed that the healthy "Nordic" diet, rich in fish, vegetables, berries, whole grains, and legumes, can significantly reduce the harmful effects of type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, medically known as Metabolism-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD).
Metabolism-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease differs from liver problems caused by excessive alcohol consumption, as it occurs due to the accumulation of excess fat inside the liver, and is increasingly prevalent in the UK and other countries, potentially affecting up to 40% of the population without clear symptoms.
Study details
Researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden, led by Professor Ulf Riserus, followed more than 150 people with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, and divided them into three groups; the first followed a low-carbohydrate vegetarian diet rich in polyunsaturated fats, the second a healthy Nordic diet, and the third continued their usual diet with a reduction in sweetened beverages and sweets.
After a full year without calorie restrictions, the Nordic diet showed superiority in improving long-term blood sugar control, weight loss, reducing inflammation, lowering bad cholesterol, and improving liver enzymes.
It also led to a reduction in liver fat by more than 20% in diabetes patients, with more than half of those with MASLD entering a remission stage.
Professor Riserus said, "The healthy Nordic diet gave the best results among participants with diabetes, with notable improvement in glucose control and reduction of liver fat, which makes it equally important for patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease."
Dr. Michael Frieden, the lead researcher, added: "Despite allowing participants to eat as much as they wish from the recommended foods, they lost weight, making the diet easy to stick with long term compared to calorie-restricting diets."
Positive effect is partly attributed to high consumption of oats and whole bread and reduced butter, with additional benefits in reducing inflammation, while experts described the results as "important," noting that the Nordic diet could be an effective tool for managing these chronic diseases.
In the UK, 4.6 million people suffer from diagnosed diabetes (90% type 2), with 1.3 million cases undiagnosed, while metabolism-associated steatotic liver disease may affect one in five people, 80% of them undiagnosed.
