Comparison of Calorie-Restricted Diet and Resveratrol Supplementation on Anthropometric Indices, Metabolic Parameters, and Serum Sirtuin-1 Levels in Patients With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Abstract

Objective: There is a promising perspective regarding the potential effect of resveratrol in preventing and treating metabolic disturbances similar to that of calorie restriction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of calorie-restricted (CR) diet on metabolic parameters and then to investigate whether resveratrol supplementation has beneficial effects similar to CR diet in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Methods: This randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted in 90 patients with NAFLD (males and females) aged 20 to 60 years with body mass index (BMI) ranging from 25 to 35 kg/m². Participants were assigned to one of three intervention groups as follows: The CR diet group (n = 30) received a prescribed low-calorie diet, the resveratrol group (n = 30) received 600 mg pure trans-resveratrol (2 × 300 mg) daily, and the placebo group (n = 30) received placebo capsules (2 × 300 mg) daily for 12 weeks. Fasting blood samples, anthropometric measurements, and dietary intake and physical activity data were collected for all participants at baseline and at the end of the trial.

Results: CR diet significantly reduced weight (by 4.5%); BMI; waist circumference; waist-to-hip ratio; and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and lipid profiles in participants compared to resveratrol and placebo (all p < 0.05). Significant reductions in weight (by 1.1%) and BMI were found in the resveratrol group compared to the placebo group (p < 0.05). ALT, AST, and lipid profiles did not change significantly in the resveratrol group (all p > 0.05). No significant changes were seen in hepatic steatosis grade, serum glycemic parameters, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and sirtuin-1 levels in any group (all p > 0.05).

Conclusions: CR diet with moderate weight loss has favorable effects on NAFLD, and resveratrol supplementation induced weight loss but failed to mimic other aspects of CR diet. Future studies are warranted to evaluate the long-term and dose-dependent effects of resveratrol on metabolic diseases.

Keywords: Calorie restriction; clinical trial; nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; resveratrol; sirtuin-1.