The Study
Impact of weight loss and reduction of ultra-processed foods on liver fat content in MASLD: a randomized controlled trial.
This study found that when people lost weight and ate fewer ultra-processed foods, their liver fat went down — no matter what diet they followed. But it doesn't prove that cutting out junk food alone caused the change; it just shows these things happened together in this group.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
People with fatty liver and extra weight tried three different diets, but the type of diet didn't matter as much as losing weight and eating less processed food.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 564 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — losing weight and avoiding junk food are more important than picking a fancy diet like keto or Mediterranean for improving fatty liver.
- 2Losing about 14.34 BMI points and eating less ultra-processed food each led to big improvements in liver fat, no matter which diet they followed.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
JHEP reports : innovation in hepatology
Year
2026
Authors
Simona Bo, A. Armandi, G. Castelnuovo, Ilaria Goitre, Fabio Bioletto, M. Guariglia, N. P. Diaz Del Campo, E. Dileo, V. Ponzo, F. Saba, C. Rosso, Gianpaolo Caviglia, Elisabetta Bugianesi
Related Content
Claims (4)
Among adults with MASLD and excess weight, changing the type of diet—such as Mediterranean, low-carbohydrate, or standard guidelines—does not alter liver fat levels if weight loss and reduced intake of ultra-processed foods are the same across diets.
In adults with MASLD and excess body weight, losing enough weight to reduce BMI by about 14.34 points is linked to a measurable decrease in liver fat, no matter what diet they follow.
Adults with MASLD and overweight or obesity who eat less ultra-processed food have lower liver fat levels, measured by CAP, no matter what other foods they eat.
People who consume large amounts of animal protein and ultra-processed foods have higher levels of systemic inflammation and a higher incidence of autoimmune diseases and cardiovascular disease.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.