Alalwani J, Derbala M, Tayyem R, Bassil M. Metabolic associated steatotic liver disease in Qatar: Analysis of dietary patterns and nutrient intake. World J Hepatol 2025; 17(11): 111995 [PMID: 41358058 DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v17.i11.111995]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Maya Bassil, MS, PhD, Associate Professor, Head, Department of Nutrition Sciences, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Al Tarfa, Doha 0000, Qatar. bassil.maya@qu.edu.qa
Research Domain of This Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Article-Type of This Article
Observational Study
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Joud Alalwani, Reema Tayyem, Maya Bassil, Department of Nutrition Sciences, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha 0000, Qatar
Moutaz Derbala, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha 0000, Qatar
Author contributions: Alalwani J and Derbala M performed data collection; Tayyem R and Bassil M were responsible for the study conception and design, and for the development of the methodology; Alalwani J, Tayyem R, and Bassil M analyzed and interpreted the data; Alalwani J, Derbala M, Tayyem R, and Bassil M drafted, critically revised, and approved the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: The study protocol was approved by Qatar University and Hamad Medical Center Institutional Review Board Committee, and the study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki. The Institutional Review Board approval was also obtained from Qatar University’s side (No. QU-IRB 007/2024-EA). Our study is part of a large study conducted by Dr. Moutaz Derbala under the study title “Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) as non-invasive biomarkers of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)”, approval No. MRC-01-21-033.
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: Technical appendix, statistical code, and dataset available from the corresponding author at bassil.maya@qu.edu.qa.
Corresponding author: Maya Bassil, MS, PhD, Associate Professor, Head, Department of Nutrition Sciences, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Al Tarfa, Doha 0000, Qatar. bassil.maya@qu.edu.qa
Received: July 16, 2025 Revised: August 31, 2025 Accepted: October 24, 2025 Published online: November 27, 2025 Processing time: 134 Days and 16.9 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a common and increasingly prevalent condition in the Middle East, but its determinants in the region are underexplored. Diet and lifestyle are known to significantly influence MASLD progression.
AIM
To assess energy and nutrient intake among MASLD patients living in Qatar and evaluate their dietary patterns.
METHODS
Using a cross-sectional design, 94 Arab patients with MASLD, aged ≥ 18 years, living in Qatar were studied. MASLD was diagnosed using ultrasonography, fibro scan, or elastography. Sociodemographic information was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Dietary intake was assessed through three 24-hour recalls and a qualitative food frequency questionnaire. Energy, macro-, and micronutrient intake were analyzed using Elizabeth Stewart Hands and Associates Food Processor® Nutrition Analysis software. Statistical analyses, including factor loadings were performed using STATA 18.
RESULTS
Compared to recommended dietary allowance, MASLD patients had high intakes of fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. They also showed reduced intakes of vitamin K in men, and vitamins E and A (retinol), calcium and magnesium in both genders, while selenium and sodium intakes were higher than recommendations. Three dietary patterns were identified: The ‘Traditional Qatari food’ pattern, the ‘Prudent’ pattern, and the ‘Fast-food’ pattern. However, no significant associations were found between these dietary patterns and body mass index or low-density lipoprotein, using adjusted regression models.
CONCLUSION
Findings warrant replication in longitudinal studies and call for dietary interventions to reduce energy density and enhance overall diet quality, including micronutrient intake, for MASLD prevention and management in the region.
Core Tip: This study investigates the dietary intake and patterns of Arab patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in Qatar, where MASLD is prevalent but under-researched. Results reveal excessive intake of fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium, alongside inadequate intake of several micronutrients, including vitamins A, E, K, calcium, and magnesium. Three distinct dietary patterns were identified, ‘Traditional’, ‘Prudent’ and ‘Fast-food’ patterns, though none were significantly associated with any health outcome. These findings highlight the need for culturally tailored dietary interventions that improve nutrient quality and reduce energy-dense food consumption, to support MASLD prevention and management in the region.
