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. 2023 Jan 19:10:1103665.
doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1103665. eCollection 2023.

The role of predicted lean body mass and fat mass in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in both sexes: Results from a secondary analysis of the NAGALA study

Maobin Kuang  1   2 , Ruijuan Yang  1   3 , Qiyang Xie  1   2 , Nan Peng  1 , Song Lu  1 , Guobo Xie  1 , Shuhua Zhang  2 , Yang Zou  2
Affiliations

The role of predicted lean body mass and fat mass in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in both sexes: Results from a secondary analysis of the NAGALA study

Maobin Kuang et al. Front Nutr. .

Abstract

Objective: High body mass index (BMI) is an important risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the association of body composition such as fat mass (FM) and lean body mass (LBM) with NAFLD has not been adequately studied. The purpose of this study was to clarify the contribution of body composition FM and LBM to NAFLD.

Methods: We analyzed data from 7,411 men and 6,840 women in the NAGALA cohort study. LBM and FM were estimated for all subjects using validated anthropometric prediction equations previously developed from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Using multiple logistic regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) to analyze the association and the dose-response curve of predicted LBM and FM with NAFLD in both sexes.

Results: The prevalence of NAFLD in man and woman subjects was 27.37 and 6.99%, respectively. Predicted FM was positively and linearly associated with NAFLD in both sexes, with each 1 kg increase in predicted FM associated with a 27 and 40% increased risk of NAFLD in men and women, respectively. In contrast, predicted LBM was negatively associated with NAFLD in both sexes, with each 1 kg increase in predicted LBM reducing the risk of NAFLD by 4 and 19% in men and women, respectively. In addition, according to the RCS curve, the risk of NAFLD did not change in men when the predicted LBM was between 47 and 52 kg, and there seemed to be a saturation effect; further, the threshold value of the saturation effect was calculated to be about 52.08 kg by two-piecewise logistic regression, and the protective effect on NAFLD would be significantly enhanced when the man predicted LBM was greater than 52.08 kg.

Conclusion: The current findings suggested that body composition LBM and FM had opposite associations with NAFLD in both sexes, with higher LBM associated with a lower risk of NAFLD and higher FM increasing the risk of NAFLD, especially in women.

Keywords: LBM; body mass index; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; predicted fat mass; predicted lean body mass.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Flowchart of the selection process of study subjects.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Restricted cubic spline analysis of predicted lean body mass (LBM) for the estimation of the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in men (A) and women (B). Adjusted for age, exercise habits, drinking status, smoking status, ALT, AST, GGT, FPG, HbA1c, TC, TG, HDL-C, and FM.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Restricted cubic spline analysis of predicted fat mass (FM) for the estimation of the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in men (A) and women (B). Adjusted for age, exercise habits, drinking status, smoking status, ALT, AST, GGT, FPG, HbA1c, TC, TG, HDL-C, and LBM.
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