Apolipoprotein C3 Gene Polymorphisms Are Not a Risk Factor for Developing Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Meta-Analysis

Context: our objective was to evaluate the effect of gene polymorphisms of apolipoprotein c3 (apoc3) on the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (nafld) in different populations.evidence acquisition: we performed a meta-analysis of all relevant studies published in the literature. a total of 115 clinical trials or reports were identified, but only seven trials met our inclusion criteria. a meta-analysis was performed according to the cochrane reviewers’ handbook recommendations. results: five hospital-based and two population-based case-control studies were included in the final analysis. the overall frequency of apoc3 gene polymorphisms was 67.5% (1177/1745) in nafld and 68.8% (988/1437) in controls. the summary odds ratio for the association of gene polymorphisms of apoc3 and the risk of nafld was 1.03 (95% ci: 0.89-1.22),which was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). conclusions: our meta-analysis, while not ruling out possible publication bias, showed no association between gene polymorphisms of apoc3 and the risk of nafld development in different populations in the world.