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Sarcopenia linked with NAFLD in Korean population
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Low muscle mass was a factor associated with an increased risk for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease among Korean-populated patients, according to recent study results.
Researchers conducted a cohort study of 452 healthy adults enrolled in the Korean Sarcopenic Obesity Study to determine associations between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and sarcopenic obesity. Patients, aged 20 years or older, were divided into healthy controls (n=324) and those diagnosed with sarcopenia (n=128). Researchers calculated quartiles of skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) and compared cardiometabolic parameters believed to be risk factors for NAFLD.
According to the results, patients with sarcopenia had a greater BMI, waist circumference and total body fat mass compared with controls. Liver attenuation index (LAI) was measured by computed tomography and SMI using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Both indices were adjusted for age and sex and negatively correlated with the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP; P<.001).
LAI and SMI had a positive correlation with high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, but negative correlations with triglycerides, alanine aminotransferase and total body fat. In logistic regression analysis, NAFLD risk was prevalent in the first (OR=5.88; 95% CI, 2.33-14.84), second (OR=4.03; 95% CI, 1.56-10.4) and third (OR=3.42; 95% CI, 1.3-8.96) quartile of SMI compared with the fourth (OR=5.16; 95% CI, 1.63-16.33).
“The present study demonstrates a higher risk of NAFLD in individuals with lower muscle mass compared to a control group,” the investigators said. “Furthermore, individuals with sarcopenia had more body fat mass, more components of [metabolic syndrome] MetS, higher hsCRP levels and higher arterial stiffness compared with those without sarcopenia.
“Considering that resistance exercise is a potent, nonpharmacological therapy that improves sarcopenia as well as components of MetS, these results suggest that resistance training may have potential effects on sarcopenia in patients with NAFLD.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.