Inverse association of healthy diet scores with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease among Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

We aimed to investigate the association of healthy diet scores (HDS), comprising major components (fruits and vegetables, soybean, fish, and sugar-sweetened beverages), with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In this cross-sectional study of 2,404 T2DM individuals aged 35–70 years, individuals with higher HDS (≥3 components) had a lower odds of NAFLD (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.48, 0.84) and lower fatty liver index (FLI) levels (β: −4.70; 95% CI: −7.61, −1.79). Each one-component increase in HDS was associated with a 14% reduction in the odds of NAFLD (OR: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.75, 0.98) and a 1.95-unit reduction in FLI levels (β: −1.95; 95% CI: −3.21, −0.70). These results suggest that adherence to a higher HDS pattern may be protective against NAFLD in T2DM.