Increased Risk of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Individuals with High Weight Variability

Abstract

Background: Weight loss through lifestyle modification is recommended for patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Recent studies have suggested that repeated loss and gain of weight is associated with worse health outcomes. This study aimed to examine the association between weight variability and the risk of NAFLD in patients without diabetes.Methods: We examined the health-checkup data of 30,708 participants who had undergone serial examinations between 2010 and 2014. Weight variability was assessed using coefficient of variation and the average successive variability of weight (ASVW), which was defined as the sum of absolute weight changes between successive years over the 5-year period divided by 4. The participants were classified according to the baseline body mass index and weight difference over 4 years.Results: On dividing the participants into four groups according to ASVW quartile groups, those in the highest quartile showed a significantly increased risk of NAFLD compared to those in the lowest quartile (odds ratio [OR], 1.89; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.63 to 2.19). Among participants without obesity at baseline, individuals with high ASVW showed increased risk of NAFLD (OR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.61 to 2.01). Participants with increased weight over 4 years and high ASVW demonstrated higher risk of NAFLD compared to those with stable weight and low ASVW (OR, 4.87; 95% CI, 4.29 to 5.53).Conclusion: Regardless of participant baseline obesity status, high weight variability was associated with an increased risk of developing NAFLD. Our results suggest that further effort is required to minimize weight fluctuations after achieving a desirable body weight.

Triglyceride and glucose index is a simple and easy‐to‐calculate marker associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

“…NAFLD, which is characterized by fat accumulation in the liver, is a hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome (5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10). Many studies have shown that NAFLD is associated with liver-related morbidity as well as insulin resistance and various metabolic diseases (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18).…”

Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Insulin Resistance in Adults: A before and after Pandemic Lockdown Longitudinal Study

“…The new lifestyles derived from the lockdown have caused a statistically significant increase in obesity and overweight, which can be quantified with an increase in weight, BMI, percentage of fat mass, and abdominal perimeter as well as alterations in the lipid profile, simultaneously leading to a worsening of the obesity pandemic and an increase in metabolic pathologies [ 41 , 42 ] such as metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance in both the diabetic and non-diabetic individuals, and a greater risk of developing NAFLD [ 43 ], as seen in Table 2 and Table 3 , all of which affect the adult population worldwide [ 44 , 45 ], with metabolic syndrome representing the most frequent chronic liver disease in the United States [ 46 ].…”

Autonomic Imbalance Increases the Risk for Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

“…This longitudinal cohort study comprised participants from a Kangbuk Samsung Health Study who underwent comprehensive health examinations annually or biennially at the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital Total Healthcare Centers in Seoul and Suwon, South Korea. In Korea, it is mandatory to participate in regular health check-up programs for every employee and companies to enhance the early detection of disease ( 11 ). For this study, we selected subjects who underwent health checkup, aged ≥18 years, including abdominal ultrasonography and HRV measurements, at least twice between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2018 ( Supplementary Figure 1 ).…”