Short-term weight gain predicts NAFLD development in nonobese people

Recent short-term weight gain is independently associated with a higher risk of developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in nonobese men and women, a study has found.

The authors examined the effect of recent short-term weight gain on the incidence of NAFLD in nonobese individuals (body mass index <25 kg/m²) who participated in an annual health checkup between 2008 and 2018 in Tokyo, Japan, were included in this retrospective cohort study.

The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) was estimated for the development of NAFLD diagnosed via ultrasound after a 3-kg unit gain in weight measured at a 2-year landmark time point postbaseline. Multivariable adjustments included weight change from the age of 20 and other relevant confounding factors.

Finally, the authors performed sensitivity analyses using additional landmark time points at 1, 3, 4, and 5 years postbaseline and time-dependent Cox proportional hazards regressions.

A total of 27,064 nonobese individuals (142,699 person-years of follow-up) were included, of whom 2,895 were diagnosed with NAFLD. About 90 percent of NAFLD patients maintained their nonobese status prior to disease diagnosis.

At the 2-year landmark time point postbaseline, the aHR for the development of NAFLD (for a 3-kg unit of weight gain) was 1.60 (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.46–1.76) in nonobese men and 1.66 (95 percent CI, 1.51–1.83) in nonobese women. This association persisted in sensitivity analyses.

“Clinicians should be mindful of the association between weight gain and NAFLD onset, even in the nonobese population,” the authors said.