(OR09-02-24) Dietary Biotin Mitigates the Risk of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD): Evidence Based on Prospective Study Involving 208,590 UK Biobank Participants

Objectives: The impact of dietary biotin on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains unclear. We investigated the association between dietary biotin and NAFLD and the mediating effects of metabolic syndrome (MetS), dyslipidemia, their components, and sarcopenia.

Methods: Data from the UK Biobank were utilized. Dietary information was collected using the Oxford WebQ, calculating daily baseline and average biotin intake and categorized according to quartiles. NAFLD was determined based on hospitalization or death attributed to NAFLD. Cox proportional-hazards model was employed to estimate the association between biotin intake and NAFLD by hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Restricted cubic spine Cox regression was also used to investigate non-linear association. Mediation analysis was established to examine the mediating effects.

Results: A final of 208,590 participants were included. Higher baseline biotin intake decreased the risk of NAFLD, HRs (95% CI) for Quartile 2,3, and 4 were 0.797 (0.698, 0.911), 0.754 (0.651, 0.872), and 0.725 (0.608, 0.865), respectively. Similarly, higher average biotin intake reduced the risk of NAFLD (HR [95% CI]: Quartile 2, 0.820 [0.719, 0.935]; Quartile 3, 0.755 [0.654, 0.871]; Quartile 4, 0.797 [0.677, 0.937]). RCS Cox regression showed a non-linear association between dietary biotin and NAFLD (P < 0.001) among the overall population, with an intake of 15–200 μg/day showed protective effect. In subgroups, protective effect of higher biotin intake was observed only among the individuals with overweight and obesity, and the participants with higher alcohol intake showed a lower risk of NAFLD. For the subgroups of enhanced polygenetic risk score (PRS) for fatty acid, APOE A1 and APOE B, significant protective effects on NAFLD were only observed for the average biotin intake of 40–100 μg/day. Lower incidence of MetS, dyslipidemia, and their components were found to mediate the association.

Conclusions: Dietary biotin demonstrates a negative association with NAFLD across overall participants and subgroups, predominantly attributed to the reduction in MetS, dyslipidemia, and some of their components. These findings, alongside forthcoming studies, holds the potential to contribute significantly to inform guidelines concerning recommended dietary biotin intake in the UK and beyond.

Funding Sources: None