Accumulated lipid droplets in liver cause
nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (
NAFLD). Deep ocean water (DOW) containing high levels of
magnesium,
calcium, and
potassium, etc. was proven to suppress hepatic
lipid in obese rats fed high fat diet in the previous study. However, the effect of
mineral compositions of DOW on the prevention of
NAFLD is still unclear. This study removed
calcium and
potassium from DOW for modulating the
mineral composition, and further compared the effects of DOW (D1(Mg + Ca + K)), DOW with low
potassium (D2(Mg + Ca)), and DOW with low
calcium and
potassium (D3(Mg)) on the prevention of
NAFLD in the mice model fed with high fat diet. In these results, DOW with high
magnesium levels reduced serum and liver
triglyceride and
cholesterol levels and serum AST and ALT activities. However, when the
calcium and/or
potassium minerals were removed from DOW, the effects of reduction of
triglyceride level, inhibition of
acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC),
fatty acid synthase (FAS), and
peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (
PPAR-α) expressions, and activation of
superoxide dismutase,
catalase, and
glutathione reductase activities would be weaker. In conclusion, DOW including
magnesium,
calcium and
potassium minerals has the strongest preventive effect on
NAFLD in a mouse model by increasing the
antioxidant system and inhibiting
fatty acid biosynthesis.