High-Plant-Protein-Diet or High-Animal-Protein-Diet for Improving Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Brief summary (registry, in English)

Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is a major cause of mortality from advanced liver disease, accounting for 47.9% of cirrhosis-related deaths and 30% of hepatocellular carcinoma-related deaths annually. In China, both per capita alcohol consumption and the prevalence of ALD (approximately 5.15%) are on the rise, making ALD an increasingly significant public health burden. Alcohol-associated fatty liver disease (AFLD), the initial and most reversible stage of ALD, is pathologically characterized by excessive hepatic lipid accumulation, mild hepatocellular injury, and low-grade inflammation. It can progress to alcoholic hepatitis, and in some patients, advance to hepatic fibrosis, cirrhosis, or even hepatocellular carcinoma. Currently, there is no established effective pharmacotherapy for AFLD; although alcohol abstinence remains the optimal strategy for disease reversal, sustained abstinence is often difficult to achieve among individuals with alcohol dependence. Dietary protein source may independently influence metabolic health beyond total protein intake. Plant proteins (primarily derived from legumes and cereals) are rich in arginine, glutamine, and fiber-associated bioactive compounds, whereas animal proteins (mainly from dairy and poultry) are abundant in branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and sulfur-containing amino acids. Preclinical studies have demonstrated that, compared with animal proteins such as casein, plant proteins more effectively attenuate high-fat- or alcohol-induced hepatic steatosis by upregulating hepatic PPAR-α expression and suppressing SREBP-1c activity. Human intervention studies further suggest that long-term higher intake of plant protein is associated with lower hepatic fat content and reduced risk of insulin resistance. However, no randomized controlled trial has yet directly compared the effects of high-purity plant protein versus animal protein supplementation on clinical outcomes in patients with AFLD under isocaloric and isonitrogenous conditions. Therefore, this study aims to conduct a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effects of plant protein versus animal protein supplementation within an isocaloric dietary framework on liver function, hepatic fat content, and glucose-lipid metabolism in individuals with AFLD. The findings will elucidate the efficacy and underlying mechanisms of protein-source modulation in ameliorating AFLD, thereby providing population-based evidence and strategic guidance for health promotion in this patient population.

What you commit to

• Study type: Interventional · Phase 1/2
• Planned participants: 74
• From 10 Oct 2026 to the primary completion date, 31 Dec 2028
• 1 site in 1 country
• Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

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Who cannot take part

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Who the study is looking for

Age in the registry: 18 years to 74 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (1)

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