P14 Emotional eating and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a pre-registered questionnaire study in a clinical population

<h3>Background</h3> In Wales 61% of adults are overweight or living with obesity. Obesity is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), of which the incidence has increased 10-fold. NAFLD has been associated with significantly higher emotional eating scores in a Japanese population. Therefore, we hypothesised that emotional and uncontrolled eating will be positively associated with liver fibrosis and steatosis in the Welsh population but not alcohol related liver disease (ArLD) or other non-diet related liver pathology. <h3>Methods</h3> 150 individuals were asked to complete validated questionnaires covering dietary behaviour, snack and alcohol consumption. Data from questionnaires were collected with relevant clinical data including fibroscan results. Patients were divided into three groups: ‘NAFLD’ (clinical diagnosis), alcohol related liver disease (ArLD) and other causes of deranged liver function tests, and mediation and logistic regression were used for data analysis. <h3>Results</h3> We confirmed a direct relationship between unhealthy snack consumption and steatosis (P=0.04) and an indirect relationship between emotional eating and steatosis mediated by BMI (P=0.002). We also showed that emotional eating scores and BMI significantly predicted whether someone had NAFLD (P=0.003). High emotional eating scores were also less likely to be found in people within the ArLD group (P=0.035); and emotional eating scores were not a significant predictor of other cause of deranged liver function (‘other group’, P=0.398). <h3>Conclusion</h3> There is a relationship between emotional eating and NAFLD. Psychological therapy focusing on emotional eating may represent a potential intervention target NAFLD.