Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42443965›Full record

ReviewDiabetology & metabolic syndrome2026

The effect of vitamin D supplementation on the liver function in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Mahdi Vajdi, Negin Nikrad, Mahsa Khajeh, Nooshin Noshadi, Mahsa Maroofi, Melika Darzi, Fatemeh Pourteymour Fard Tabrizi, Gholamreza Askari

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In one paragraph

Review in Diabetology & metabolic syndrome, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Mahdi VajdiNutrition and Food Security Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Negin NikradDepartment of Community Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Mahsa KhajehNutrition and Food Security Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Nooshin NoshadiDepartment of Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz,, Iran.
Mahsa MaroofiDepartment of Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran,, Iran.
Melika DarziStudent Research Committee, Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.
Fatemeh Pourteymour Fard TabriziDepartment of Community Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. fateme.pourteymour@gmail.com.
Gholamreza AskariNutrition and Food Security Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. Askari@mui.ac.ir.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEmpirical studies examining the impact of vitamin D supplementation on the liver function in non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) disease patients have yielded incongruous outcomes. In this systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), we investigated the effect of vitamin D supplementation on liver enzymes (alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP)) in NAFLD patients.

methodsA systematic literature search was conducted using scientific databases including PubMed/Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane library and Scopus, through May 2026. The search strategy included terms for the interventions (vitamin D, cholecalciferol, calcitriol) and outcomes (ALT, AST, ALP, and GGT) in NAFLD patients. Weighted/standardized mean differences (WMD, SMD) and 95% CI were analyzed utilizing a random-effects model.

resultsOverall, 16 RCTs met our inclusion criteria. The current meta-analysis demonstrates a significant reduction in ALT (SMD: -0.45; 95% CI: - 0.87 to -0.04; P = 0.032), and ALP (WMD: -12.91 IU/L; 95% CI: - 18.75 to -7.08; P < 0.001). However, analysis of studies indicated a non-significant effect on AST, GGT. Subgroup analysis showed that the effect of vitamin D on AST is more pronounced in studies with a dose ≤ 3500 IU/day, duration > 12 weeks and using cholecalciferol (as opposed to calcitriol).

conclusionThe findings of this study indicate that vitamin D supplementation may be associated with improvements in ALT and ALP levels, while no significant effects were observed for AST and GGT. These results suggest a possible beneficial role of vitamin D in supporting liver function among patients with NAFLD; however, the evidence remains inconclusive. Future studies are needed to investigate the effect of vitamin D on health status in in NAFLD patients. PROSPERO CODE: CRD42024545499.

Indexed as

Liver functionMeta-analysisNon-alcoholic fatty liver diseaseVitamin D

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.