Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
| Name | Class |
|---|---|
| Northwest General Hospital and Research centre | NETWORK |
| Khyber Teaching Hospital | OTHER |
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
This study investigates whether a structured lifestyle program can help improve thinking skills and liver health in adults with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). We are enrolling 45 participants, aged 18-42, who will be randomly assigned to one of three groups for six months: one receiving general health advice, a second following a supervised Mediterranean diet plan, and a third combining the same diet with a regular walking program. The main goal is to see if these diet and exercise interventions can lead to better scores on memory and reasoning tests, reduce liver stiffness measured by a painless scan (FibroScan), and improve related blood markers of inflammation and hormone balance.
This is a parallel-group, randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate the impact of lifestyle interventions on cognitive function in patients with NAFLD, and to explore associations with liver fibrosis severity and underlying biomarkers. The study aims to recruit 45 participants with imaging-confirmed NAFLD, who will be randomized (1:1:1) into a control group (general advice), a dietary intervention group (structured Mediterranean diet), or a combined intervention group (diet plus supervised exercise). Primary outcomes include cognitive performance measured by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and serum T-Tau levels, assessed at baseline and after the 6-month intervention. Key secondary outcomes encompass changes in liver fibrosis (via FibroScan and FIB-4 index), inflammatory biomarkers (IL-6, TNF-α), and hormonal profiles (cortisol, testosterone, estradiol). The protocol has received ethical approval from the Khyber Medical University Institutional Review Board, and analysis will follow intention-to-treat principles using repeated-measures ANOVA and regression models to determine intervention efficacy and pathophysiological correlations.
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mediterranean Diet Intervention | Experimental | Participants will follow a structured, culturally adapted Mediterranean diet plan for 6 months, designed and supervised by a qualified dietitian. The diet emphasizes whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, olive oil, and lean proteins (detailed 7-day plan in Annexure 7). Support includes individualized counseling, provision of meal plans, weekly food diaries, 24-hour dietary recalls, and monthly check-ins. Outcome assessments occur at T0, T1 (6 months), and T2 (12 months). |
|
| Control / General Advice | Active Comparator | Participants will receive general verbal and written advice on healthy eating and physical activity, consistent with standard care. No structured diet plan or supervised exercise will be provided. They will undergo all outcome assessments (FibroScan, FIB-4, MoCA, biomarker blood draws) at Baseline (T0), 6 months (T1), and 12 months (T2). |
|
| Combined Diet and Exercise Intervention | Experimental | Participants will receive the identical Mediterranean diet intervention as Arm 2 plus a structured, progressive aerobic exercise program. The exercise consists of a 60-minute walking session, 5 days per week, for 6 months, progressing through conditioning, strength-building, and endurance phases (detailed in Annexure III). Compliance is monitored via exercise logs, fortnightly contact, and monthly check-ins. Outcome assessments occur at T0, T1 (6 months), and T2 (12 months). |
|
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structured Mediterranean Diet | Behavioral | A culturally adapted, structured dietary plan based on the Mediterranean diet principles, delivered through individual dietitian counseling, provision of weekly meal plans, and ongoing compliance support (food diaries, recalls, monthly check-ins). |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Composite of Heart Failure Hospitalization or Cardiovascular Death | Time to first adjudicated event of either hospitalization for worsening heart failure or cardiovascular death. Events will be confirmed by a blinded Clinical Events Committee (CEC). | From randomization up to study completion (maximum follow-up of 30 months). |
| Change in Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) Overall Summary Score | The Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) is a 23-item, self-administered disease-specific questionnaire. The Overall Summary Score (OSS) aggregates the physical limitation, symptom frequency, quality of life, and social limitation domains. Scores range from 0 to 100, where higher scores indicate better health status. The outcome is the change in KCCQ-OSS from baseline. | Baseline, Month 12. |
| Change in N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) | The ratio of change in serum NT-proBNP level from baseline. NT-proBNP will be measured in pg/mL by a central laboratory using a standardized assay. | Baseline, Month 6. |
| All-cause Mortality | Time from randomization to death from any cause. | From randomization up to study completion (maximum follow-up of 30 months). |
Not provided
Not provided
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
| Name | Role | Phone | Extension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Ayesha Qaiser, MBBS, PhD Scholar | Contact | +92 332 9135697 | dr.ayeshaqaiser@hotmail.com | |
| Dr Inayat Shah, PhD | Contact | +92 332 1431414 | inayat.shah@kmu.edu.pk |
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Ayesha Qaiser, PhD Scholar | Khyber Medical University Peshawar | Principal Investigator |
| Dr Inayat Shah, PhD | Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Khyber Medical University | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khyber Teaching Hospital | Recruiting | Peshawar | KPK | 25100 | Pakistan |
| PubMed Identifier | Type | Citation | Retractions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33572481 | Background | Kjaergaard K, Mikkelsen ACD, Wernberg CW, Gronkjaer LL, Eriksen PL, Damholdt MF, Mookerjee RP, Vilstrup H, Lauridsen MM, Thomsen KL. Cognitive Dysfunction in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease-Current Knowledge, Mechanisms and Perspectives. J Clin Med. 2021 Feb 9;10(4):673. doi: 10.3390/jcm10040673. | |
| 34328248 | Background |
Not provided
Not provided
De-identified individual participant data that underlie the results reported in the primary publication (including demographic, clinical, laboratory, and cognitive assessment data) will be made available to qualified researchers upon reasonable request. The data will be shared to achieve the aims in the approved proposal, subject to a data use agreement.
Data will become available 9 months after the publication of the primary results and will be accessible for 5 years.
Data access requests should be directed to the corresponding author (Dr. Ayesha Qaiser) and will be reviewed by the trial's steering committee. Requestors will need to provide a methodologically sound proposal and sign a data use/access agreement.
Not provided
Not provided
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D065626 | Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease |
| D019965 | Neurocognitive Disorders |
| D060825 | Cognitive Dysfunction |
| D008103 | Liver Cirrhosis |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D005234 | Fatty Liver |
| D008107 | Liver Diseases |
| D004066 | Digestive System Diseases |
| D001523 | Mental Disorders |
Not provided
Not provided
A three-arm parallel-group randomized controlled trial will be conducted. Participants will be assigned to the Mediterranean Diet intervention, Control (general advice 2), and combined Mediterranean Diet + Structured Exercise intervention.
Not provided
Not provided
Outcome assessors conducting the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and laboratory technicians performing biomarker analyses (ELISA for T-Tau, cytokines, hormones) will be blinded to group assignment. Participants and the interventionists (dietitians, physiotherapists) cannot be blinded due to the behavioral nature of the lifestyle interventions.
|
| Control / General Advice | Behavioral | This intervention consists of providing standardized, non-structured verbal and written information on the principles of a balanced diet and the benefits of regular physical activity, as per routine clinical practice. It serves as the active comparator representing minimal intervention. |
|
| Dr Arshad Hussain, PhD | Northwest General Hospital, Peshawar | Principal Investigator |
| Northwest General Hospital | Recruiting | Peshawar | KPK | 25100 | Pakistan |
|
| Semmler G, Datz C, Reiberger T, Trauner M. Diet and exercise in NAFLD/NASH: Beyond the obvious. Liver Int. 2021 Oct;41(10):2249-2268. doi: 10.1111/liv.15024. Epub 2021 Aug 21. |
| 26092476 | Background | Whitehead AL, Julious SA, Cooper CL, Campbell MJ. Estimating the sample size for a pilot randomised trial to minimise the overall trial sample size for the external pilot and main trial for a continuous outcome variable. Stat Methods Med Res. 2016 Jun;25(3):1057-73. doi: 10.1177/0962280215588241. Epub 2015 Jun 19. |
| 29744597 | Background | Ishiba H, Sumida Y, Tanaka S, Yoneda M, Hyogo H, Ono M, Fujii H, Eguchi Y, Suzuki Y, Yoneda M, Takahashi H, Nakahara T, Seko Y, Mori K, Kanemasa K, Shimada K, Imai S, Imajo K, Kawaguchi T, Nakajima A, Chayama K, Saibara T, Shima T, Fujimoto K, Okanoue T, Itoh Y; Japan Study Group of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (JSG-NAFLD). The novel cutoff points for the FIB4 index categorized by age increase the diagnostic accuracy in NAFLD: a multi-center study. J Gastroenterol. 2018 Nov;53(11):1216-1224. doi: 10.1007/s00535-018-1474-y. Epub 2018 May 9. |
| D003072 |
| Cognition Disorders |
| D005355 | Fibrosis |
| D010335 | Pathologic Processes |
| D013568 | Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms |