Abstract #0402

Differences in Hepatic Lipid Composition Linked to Histological Evidence of Inflammation in the Liver: A 1H MRS Study Investigating Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation

Mary Charlotte Stephenson¹, Richard D. Johnston²,³, Guruprasad P. Aithal², Philip Kaye², Ian A. MacDonald³, Peter G. Morris¹

¹SPMMRC, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom; ²National Institute for Health Research, Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom; ³School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom

Previous studies, investigating the effects of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementation on liver steatosis have shown reduced hepatic lipid levels and inflammation using ultrasound and biochemical markers. This study aims to investigate the effects of n-3 PUFA supplementation on the lipid composition and content in patients with non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). MRS measurement of the liver lipid composition suggests an increase in lipid chain length in steatohepatitis (compared to steatosis) which is predictive of the NAFLD Activity Score. However, no reduction in steatosis was found following 3 months of n-3 PUFA supplementation.