Dietary Protein Intake and Mortality Among Survivors of Liver Cirrhosis: A Prospective Cohort Study Publisher Pubmed



Daftari G¹ ; Tehrani AN^{2, 3} ; Pashayeekhamene F⁴ ; Karimi S⁴ ; Ahmadzadeh S⁴ ; Hekmatdoost A⁴ ; Salehpour A⁵ ; Saberfiroozi M⁶ ; Hatami B⁷ ; Yari Z⁸
Source: BMC Gastroenterology Published:2023

Abstract

Background: Liver cirrhosis is a worldwide burden and is associated with poor clinical outcomes, including increased mortality. The beneficial effects of dietary modifications in reducing morbidity and mortality are inevitable. Aim: The current study aimed to evaluate the potential association of dietary protein intake with the cirrhosis-related mortality. Methods: In this cohort study, 121 ambulatory cirrhotic patients with at least 6 months of cirrhosis diagnosis were followed-up for 48 months. A 168-item validated food frequency questionnaire was used for dietary intake assessment. Total dietary protein was classified as dairy, vegetable and animal protein. We estimated crude and multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), applying Cox proportional hazard analyses. Results: After full adjustment for confounders, analyses showed that total (HR = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.2–1.1, p trend = 0.045) and dairy (HR = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.13–1.1, p trend = 0.046) protein intake was associated with a 62% lower risk of cirrhosis-related mortality. While a higher intake of animal protein was associated with a 3.8-fold increase in the risk of mortality in patients (HR = 3.8, 95% CI = 1.7–8.2, p trend = 0.035). Higher intake of vegetable protein was inversely but not significantly associated with mortality risk. Conclusion: A comprehensive evaluation of the associations of dietary protein intake with cirrhosis-related mortality indicated that a higher intakes of total and dairy protein and a lower intakes of animal protein are associated with a reduced risk of mortality in cirrhotic patients. © 2023, The Author(s).