Soluble Fibre Supplementation in NAFLD

The FIND (Fibre in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease) study will be a single-centre, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial comparing the effects of 6 months of mixed oligofructose and inulin (OF+INU) supplementation vs placebo on hepatic fat content, hepatic stiffness, metabolic outcomes, and body composition in children ages 8-17 years old.

Assessments such as MRI measurements of hepatic fat and hepatic stiffness, anthropometry and pubertal status questionnaires, and other investigations such as body composition via dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), fasting lipids, liver enzymes, blood glucose and oral-glucose tolerance (OGTT) tests will be performed; and randomization will be conducted via REDCap software.

Eighty participants will be enrolled for baseline evaluation in order to randomize sixty participants for the intervention phase (i.e. thirty participants per study group). Participants will consume one packet (4g) of OF+INU or placebo (Maltodextrin) daily. If tolerated, this will increase to one packet twice daily. Several strategies will be implemented to increase compliance, including text message reminders (daily for first week, then weekly), study calls to assess compliance and tolerability, and check-ins with participants at each clinic visit. These interactions will allow the study team to assess challenges and offer prompt support. Compliance will be assessed at each study visit by counting empty and unused sachets. Treatment with OF+INU or placebo will occur for 6 months, with study visits being conducted at baseline evaluation, 3 months and 6 months

Inclusion criteria

• Children ages 8-17 years
• Diagnosed with obesity (BMI ≥2 standard deviations above WHO reference median)
• Enrolled in GHWM Clinic
• Clinical evidence of NAFLD (elevation of ALT, greater than 2x upper-limit-of-normal (ULN) [ALT>80 IU/L for 8-17 years of age], and hepatic steatosis measured as part of clinic enrolment).

Exclusion criteria

• Type 1, Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T1DM, T2DM)
• Contraindications to having MRI (claustrophobia, metal implant, recent tattoo, weight > 300lbs)
• Concomitant use of other fibre supplements
• Medications known to affect hepatic fat content, taken within the past year (i.e., glucocorticoids, anabolic steroids, tetracycline, anticonvulsants, antipsychotics, glucose- lowering medications)
• Presence of another known cause of liver disease
• Known allergy or hypersensitivity to OF-INU supplementation
• Self-reported alcohol intake >7 drinks/week or 3 drinks/day