So, how is the Japanese diet which essentially comprises fish helps in recovering liver damage?
The Japanese diet pattern is a food pattern that consists mainly of fish and shellfish, and is rich in high-fiber foods, such as seaweeds and mushrooms, and fermented foods, such as pickles.
“Intervention with a Japanese diet pattern improved lipid metabolism in young adults,” the researchers have said and have added that a Japanese diet pattern score has been associated with lower obesity rates and ischemic heart disease incidence in a global comparative study .
“Interestingly, we found that mJDI12 was also significantly associated with the intake of nutrients with antioxidant properties, such as vitamin C, β-carotene, and α-tocopherol. Oxidative stress is associated with the pathogenesis of NASH and intervention with antioxidant nutrients, such as vitamin E, may have a hepatoprotective effect,” the research paper adds. mJDI12 is the 12 component Japanese diet that was used for the study.
The study also talks about the cholesterol lowering effects of dietary fibre which forms an important component of fatty liver disease. It also says that Japanese foods can influence the intestinal microbiota with their fibre content which will be helpful in lowering the risk of liver fibrosis.