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Muscle Fat Content Is Associated with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Liver Fibrosis in Chinese Adults

  • Original Research
  • Published:
The journal of nutrition, health & aging

Abstract

Objectives

Several studies have linked myosteatosis with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in individuals with obesity The clinical significance of myosteatosis in individuals with NAFLD in the general population has not been well investigated. Here, we wanted to explore and compare the associations of NAFLD and liver fibrosis with muscle fat content and skeletal muscle mass (SMM) in a relatively large general population in China.

Methods

We retrospectively included all participants who underwent abdominal CT scans in our health promotion center between April 2021 and October 2021. Muscle fat content was assessed by abdomen quantitative computed tomography (QCT) scans, and SMM was evaluated by bioelectrical impedance. NAFLD was assessed by ultrasonography. The NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS) and Fibrosis-4 Index (FIB-4) score were calculated to assess liver fibrosis.

Results

Compared with participants without NAFLD, patients with NAFLD showed significantly increased intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT%) (7.40±3.37% vs. 6.76±2.66%, P <0.01). According to a multiple logistic regression model, IMAT% (OR=1.091, 95% CI 1.030–1.155, P=0.003) was only independently correlated with NAFLD in obese participants. Mediation analysis showed that BMI mediated the association between IMAT% and NAFLD. In participants with NAFLD, increased IMAT% was independently associated with an increased intermediate to high risk of advanced fibrosis assessed by the NFS or FIB-4 score after adjusting for multiple potential confounders. However, SMM was only independently correlated with an intermediate to high risk for advanced fibrosis evaluated by the NFS and not by the FIB-4 score.

Conclusion

Increased muscle fat content is positively correlated with NAFLD and intermediate to high risk for advanced fibrosis in the general Chinese population.

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Data Availability Statement: The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors.

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Acknowledgments

We appreciate the help and support from all participants who took part in the study.

Funding

Funding: This study was supported by Jiangsu Province Capability Improvement Project through Science, Technology and Education (ZDXK202248) National Natural Science Foundation of China Youth Fund (82200946), and Young Scholars Fostering Fund of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (No. PY2021008).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Promotion Center, the First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, China

    W. Guo, X. Zhao, X. Liang, M. Miao, X. Li, J. Lu, N. Xu & Qun Zhang

  2. Department of Health Promotion Center, Jingzhou Central Hospital, Jingzhou, 434000, China

    D. Cheng

  3. Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 72 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210008, China

    Shuang Hu

Authors
  1. W. Guo
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  2. X. Zhao
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  3. D. Cheng
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  4. X. Liang
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  5. M. Miao
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  6. X. Li
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  7. J. Lu
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  9. Shuang Hu
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  10. Qun Zhang
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Contributions

Author contributions: Wen Guo, Shuang Hu and Qun Zhang participated in the study design. Wen Guo, Xin Zhao, Dan Cheng, Xiuru Liang, Mengyuan Miao, Xiaona Li, Jing Lu, and Nianzhen Xu were involved in the conduct of the study and data collection. Wen Guo and Shuang Hu participated in the data analysis. Wen Guo and Qun Zhang wrote and modified the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Shuang Hu or Qun Zhang.

Ethics declarations

Declaration of competing interest: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Institutional Review Board Statement: The study protocol was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (2023-SR-048).

Informed Consent Statement: The requirement for informed consent was waived by the ethics committee, because this study was designed to retrospectively collect available data from the participants’ physical examination results.

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Guo, W., Zhao, X., Cheng, D. et al. Muscle Fat Content Is Associated with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Liver Fibrosis in Chinese Adults. J Nutr Health Aging 27, 960–965 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-023-2015-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-023-2015-9

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