Although nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (nAfLD) is associated with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (oSAS), studies on the direct relationship between nAfLD and snoring, an early symptom of oSAS, are limited. We evaluated whether snorers had higher risk of developing nAfLD. the study was performed using data of the Tongmei study (cross-sectional survey, 2,153 adults) and Kailuan study (ongoing prospective cohort, 19,587 adults). In both studies, NAFLD was diagnosed using ultrasound; snoring frequency was determined at baseline and classified as none, occasional (1 or 2 times/week), or habitual (≥3 times/week). Odds ratios (ORs) and hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals were estimated using logistic and Cox models, respectively. During 10 years' follow-up in Kailuan, 4,576 individuals with new-onset NAFLD were identified at least twice. After adjusting confounders including physical activity, perceived salt intake, body mass index (BMi), and metabolic syndrome (MetS), multivariate-adjusted oRs and HRs for nAfLD comparing habitual snorers to non-snorers were 1.72 (1.25-2.37) and 1.29 (1.16-1.43), respectively. These associations were greater among lean participants (BMi < 24) and similar across other subgroups (sex, age, MetS, hypertension). Snoring was independently and positively associated with higher prevalence and incidence of nAfLD, indicating that habitual snoring is a useful predictor of nAfLD, particularly in lean individuals. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common chronic liver diseases worldwide 1. NAFLD affects approximately 25% of the global population 2 , with more than 10% of cases occurring in lean people 1. The prevalence of NAFLD ranges from 6.3% to 27.0% in Chinese adults 3 and is increasing at a rate of 0.594% per year 4. The rising prevalence of NAFLD, in conjunction with the pandemic of obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS), represent an increasing global public health burden 5. Snoring is a common condition that is easily detected by co-sleepers. In a recent study among 10,139 people living in rural areas of northern China, 47.2% of men and 37.8% of women self-reported snoring 6. Several meta-analyses have revealed that snoring is associated with higher risks of diabetes 7 , gestational diabetes mellitus, pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia 8 , cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality 9,10. Multiple randomized controlled trials have suggested a possible causal relationship between obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and NAFLD 2,11. Snoring is an early symptom of OSAS; 12 however, to our knowledge, few studies have investigated the direct relationships between self-reported snoring and NAFLD. Thus, we conducted the first cross-sectional study and first independent validation cohort study designed to investigate whether individuals who self-reported snoring had a higher prevalence and incidence of NAFLD. Low-to-moderate alcohol intake may have beneficial effects in patients with NAFLD 13,14. Conversely, alcohol increases upper air...