J Yeungnam Med Sci.  2023 Nov;40(Suppl):S47-S55. 10.12701/jyms.2023.00605.

Association between total body muscle percentage and prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in Korean adults findings from an 18-year follow-up: a prospective cohort study

• Ahn BC
• Park CY
• Hong JH
• Baek KO

• KMID: 2548342
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12701/jyms.2023.00605

Abstract

Background
This study aimed to elucidate the association between total lean muscle mass and the incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in the adult Korean population.
Methods
Utilizing data derived from the 18-year prospective cohort of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study, NAFLD was diagnosed via the hepatic steatosis index with an established cutoff value of 36. Lean muscle mass was assessed via bioelectrical impedance analysis and subsequently divided into tertiles. A generalized mixed model with a logit link was employed for repeated measures data analysis, accounting for potential confounders.
Results
Analysis encompassed 7,794 participants yielding 49,177 measurements. The findings revealed a markedly increased incidence of NAFLD in the lower tertiles of muscle mass, specifically, tertile 1 (odds ratio [OR], 20.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 9.66–44.11) and tertile 2 (OR, 4.57; 95% CI, 2.11–9.91), in comparison to tertile 3. Age-dependent decreases in the OR were observed within the tertile 1 group, with ORs of 10.12 at age of 40 years and 4.96 at age of 80 years. Moreover, each 1%-point increment in total muscle mass corresponded with an estimated OR of 0.87 (95% CI, 0.82–0.93) for NAFLD resolution.
Conclusions
The study demonstrates a significant association between total muscle mass and NAFLD prevalence among Korean adults. Given the potential endocrine role of muscle mass in NAFLD pathogenesis, interventions aimed at enhancing muscle mass might serve as an effective public health strategy for mitigating NAFLD prevalence.

Keyword

Body composition; Cohort studies; Muscle; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Figure

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  Fig. 1. Flow chart for the inclusion of study participants. KoGES, Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study.

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  Fig. 2. Odds ratio (OR) of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease prevalence by total body muscle percentage (TBM%) group and age. Dots indicate OR and bar indicates 95% confidence interval (CI) of OR. As interaction term of TBM% group and age shown statistical significance for tertile 1 group compared to tertile 3 group, the change of OR ratio and 95% CI by age was demonstrated.

Reference

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