Effect of Mastiha supplementation on NAFLD: The MAST4HEALTH Randomised, Controlled Trial

Mol Nutr Food Res. 2021 May;65(10):e2001178. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.202001178. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Abstract

Scope: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease with poor therapeutic strategies. Mastiha possesses antioxidant/anti-inflammatory and lipid-lowering properties. The authors investigate the effectiveness of Mastiha as a nonpharmacological intervention in NAFLD.

Methods and results: Ninety-eight patients with NAFLD in three countries (Greece, Italy, Serbia) are randomly allocated to either Mastiha or Placebo for 6 months, as part of a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial. The authors assess NAFLD severity via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning and LiverMultiScan technique and evaluate the effectiveness of Mastiha through medical, anthropometric, biochemical, metabolomic, and microbiota assessment. Mastiha is not superior to Placebo on changes in iron-corrected T1 (cT1) and Liver Inflammation Fibrosis score (LIF) in entire patient population; however, after BMI stratification (BMI ≤ 35 kg m-2 and BMI > 35 kg m-2 ), severely obese patients show an improvement in cT1 and LIF in Mastiha versus Placebo. Mastiha increases dissimilarity of gut microbiota, as shown by the Bray-Curtis index, downregulates Flavonifractor, a known inflammatory taxon and decreases Lysophosphatidylcholines-(LysoPC) 18:1, Lysophosphatidylethanolamines-(LysoPE) 18:1, and cholic acid compared to Placebo.

Conclusion: Mastiha supplementation improves microbiota dysbiosis and lipid metabolite levels in patients with NAFLD, although it reduces parameters of liver inflammation/fibrosis only in severely obese patients.

Keywords: MRI; Mastiha; NAFLD/NASH; metabolomics; microbiota dysbiosis.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Body Mass Index
  • Dietary Supplements
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Dysbiosis / drug therapy
  • Female
  • Gastrointestinal Microbiome / drug effects
  • Greece
  • Humans
  • Italy
  • Liver / pathology
  • Male
  • Mastic Resin / administration & dosage*
  • Middle Aged
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / drug therapy*
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / microbiology
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / physiopathology
  • Obesity / complications
  • Placebos
  • Serbia

Substances

  • Mastic Resin
  • Placebos
  • mastiha