BackgroundThe prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) reaches up to 30% in the Asian adult population, with a higher prevalence in obese patients. Weight reduction is typically recommended for patients at high risk or diagnosed with NAFLD, but is a challenge to achieve. ObjectiveWe aimed to evaluate the effect of a lifestyle intervention with a mobile app on weight loss in NAFLD patients. MethodsThis prospective randomized controlled trial included 108 adults with NAFLD confirmed by steatosis on ultrasound and a body mass index ≥23 kg/m2 who were recruited from a fatty liver outpatient clinic. The patients were randomly allocated to either a control group (n=53) receiving standard care, consisting of dietary and lifestyle advice by a trained nurse, or an intervention group (n=55) utilizing the Nutritionist Buddy (nBuddy) mobile app in addition to receiving dietary and lifestyle advice by a dietitian. Body weight, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), waist circumference, and blood pressure were measured at baseline, and then at 3 and 6 months. Intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses were used for statistical comparisons. ResultsThe intervention group had a 5-fold higher likelihood (relative risk 5.2, P=.003, 95% CI 1.8-15.4) of achieving ≥5% weight loss compared to the control group at 6 months. The intervention group also showed greater reductions in weight (mean 3.2, SD 4.1 kg vs mean 0.5, SD 2.9 kg; P