Nordic diet linked to improved liver fat and blood sugar in Swedish study

A Swedish study tracking about 150 participants found that adopting a healthy Nordic diet improved blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes and reduced liver fat, with many participants showing remission of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, or MASLD, after one year.

Participants were randomized into three groups: a low-carbohydrate plant-based diet; a healthy Nordic diet rich in fish, vegetables, berries and pulses; and a control group that continued their usual diet. All groups were advised to limit sugary drinks and snacks.

After twelve months, the Nordic and low-carbohydrate diets reduced liver fat and lowered low-density lipoprotein cholesterol to similar extents, but the Nordic plan showed greater improvements in long-term blood glucose control and in body weight. In the diabetes subgroup, liver fat fell by just over 20 percent and blood sugar control improved over the year, researchers reported. More than half of the participants with MASLD also experienced remission of the liver condition.

Experts described the findings as important, noting that the Nordic diet could be a practical tool for people with type 2 diabetes or MASLD to stabilize their conditions. Prof Ulf Risérus, an expert in clinical nutrition and metabolism at Uppsala University and a study co-author, said the healthy Nordic diet gave the best results in the participants with diabetes. He noted that just over 20 percent of liver fat was reduced and that glucose control improved over one year. Dr Michael Fridén, another Uppsala MASLD researcher and co-author, added that even though participants could eat as much as they wanted from the recommended foods, weight loss still occurred, a contrast with prior studies that restricted calories.

The researchers could not prove exactly why the Nordic diet produced these effects, but they suggested that higher intake of oats and wholegrain bread and lower butter consumption might play a role. In Nature Communications, the team wrote that the diet may reduce fat deposits in the liver and improve blood glucose levels and lipid values while reducing inflammation. They emphasized that the results are relevant for overweight people with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes and could inform future dietary recommendations.

MASLD, previously linked to heavy alcohol use, is characterized by excess fat in the liver alongside metabolic risk factors such as obesity, high blood sugar and high blood pressure. The condition is thought to be on the rise in the United Kingdom. Diabetes UK estimates about 4.6 million Britons have a diabetes diagnosis, with around 90 percent of cases being type 2; the charity also notes an estimated 1.3 million people live with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes. MASLD may affect as many as one in five people in the UK, and some experts warn the true figure could be as high as 40 percent, with roughly 80 percent of cases undiagnosed because the disease often has no obvious symptoms and is discovered only through routine tests. In many MASLD cases, fat buildup progresses to a more advanced form called MASH, which involves inflammation and potential liver damage.

The study adds to a growing body of evidence that diet quality can influence both liver fat and metabolic control, offering a potential dietary approach to complement medical management for individuals with type 2 diabetes or MASLD.