Dietary Nutritional Supplements Are Associated with the Deterioration of Hepatic Fibrosis in Women and Individuals without Underlying Disease

Despite the growing societal interest in the health benefits of dietary nutritional supplements, their safety and efficacy remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the correlation between hepatic fibrosis and the consumption of dietary nutritional supplements. This study utilized data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey spanning the period from 2014 to 2022. Significant fibrosis was defined as a fibrosis index based on four factors (FIB-4) ≥1.45 and an aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) ≥0.30. Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. In a study involving 30,639 participants (supplement consumers [ n = 17,772] and non-consumers [ n = 12,867]), dietary nutritional supplement consumption was associated with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevation and increased hepatic fibrosis biomarkers (APRI and FIB-4). Dietary nutritional supplement consumption was independently linked to ALT elevation (AOR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.04–1.18), FIB-4 (AOR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.00–1.15), and APRI (AOR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.07–1.21). This association was particularly significant in women and subgroups of people who were not diabetic or hypertriglyceridemic. In our comprehensive analysis, the consumption of dietary nutritional supplements was possibly associated with hepatic fibrosis, particularly in specific subgroups. Given the limitations of this study, these findings are not considered definitive conclusions; however, they serve as valuable preliminary data for future research.