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# Dietary cholesterol promotes progression in hepatitis C
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/cholesterol_hepatitis_c_0626130846/
- Published: 2013-06-25T21:46:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:12:59.000Z
- Description: Among 608 hepatitis C patients with advanced fibrosis or compensated cirrhosis, each higher quartile of dietary cholesterol intake came with 46 percent greater odds of clinical or histologic progression, after adjustment for confounders including alcohol, smoking and body mass.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Chemical, Food Safety, #vivvo-import

Tuesday June 25, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology suggests that patients with hepatitis C virus may be better off not eating foods with cholesterol, which is found in meat and dairy products.

The study led by Lei Yu and colleagues shows that hepatitis C patients who had high intake of cholesterol were more likely than those with a low intake to have clinical or histologic progression of the infection.

Hepatitis C is known to be a risk factor for liver cancer or patients with the chronic infection are at higher risk for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Few studies have been conducted to associate intake of dietary cholesterol with the risk of hepatitis C progression. For the current study, the researchers analysed data from 608 patients with advanced fibrosis and compensated cirrhosis who were enrolled in the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-term Treatment against Cirrhosis trial. 

Cholesterol intake was surveyed through food frequency questionnaires at baseline and 1.8 years later. Clinical progression was defined as events or symptoms or conditions including death, variceal bleeding, encephalopathy, ascites, peritonitis, Child–Turcotte–Pugh score ≥7, or hepatocellular carcinoma and histologic progression of disease was defined as having an increase in Ishak fibrosis score of 2 or more points in a second liver biopsy, compared with the first.

After adjustment for potential confounders including gender, age, race, presence of cirrhosis, body mass index, treatment, alcohol consumption status, smoking status, general health and coffee consumption, and macronutrient intake, each higher quartile of cholesterol intake was correlated with a 46% increased risk of clinical or histologic profession.

Compared with hepatitis C patients in the lowest quartile of cholesterol intake (32–152 mg/day), those in the 3rd quartile (224–310 mg/day) and the 4th quartile ((>310 mg/day) were 183% and 174% increased risk for disease progression, respectively.

The study concluded "higher dietary cholesterol intake is associated with higher risk of disease progression in HCV(hepatitis C virus) -infected patients with advanced fibrosis or compensated cirrhosis." (reporting by Jimmy Downs)