**3. Patients and methods**

### **3.1 Inclusion criteria**

A total of 125 research participants, 100 patients with NAFLD (59% women and 41% men) having a mean age of 48.67 ± 8.66 years and 25 healthy controls, joined this observational study. Patients were consecutively enrolled, being assigned into two groups, based on the presence or absence of the gut dysbiosis (DB): 50 with DB, the study group and 50 without DB, the comparison group, after several diseases and conditions have been ruled out.
