Weak muscle strength in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a new study.
Yongin Severance Hospital said Wednesday that a research team led by Professor Lim Tae-seop of the Department of Gastroenterology and Endocrinology and Professor Kim Kyoung-min of the Department of Endocrinology has published their findings in the international journal Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle.
A research team led by Professor Lim Tae-seop of the Department of Gastroenterology and Professor Kim Kyoung-min of the Department of Endocrinology at Yongin Severance Hospital has found that patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease if they have low muscle strength. (Courtesy of Yongin Severance Hospital)
MASLD, also known as nonalcoholic fatty liver, is a condition in which excessive fat accumulates in the liver due to metabolic conditions, such as obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the disease.
Previous studies have shown that reduced muscle strength or muscle mass in people with MASLD increases their risk of cardiovascular disease. However, most of these studies were cross-sectional. This time, the researchers set out to determine whether the risk of cardiovascular disease varies with muscle strength in metabolic fatty liver disease in a longitudinal study.
The researchers used data from nearly 200,000 participants in the UK Biobank. Muscle strength was measured using handgrip strength, closely related to total body strength. MASLD was defined as steatosis in the liver and at least one of the metabolic factors. Cardiovascular disease events were based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) diagnoses.
Participants with metabolic fatty liver disease were categorized into low, moderate, or high grip strength groups according to their grasping power. The difference in cardiovascular events was analyzed alongside those without metabolic fatty liver disease.
After an average follow-up of 13.1 years, the risk of cardiovascular events was lowest in the group without MASLD.
the order of high, medium, and low grip strength. This was true for both men and women.
Multivariate analysis of the hazard ratios for cardiovascular events showed that compared to those without metabolic fatty liver, men with metabolic fatty liver had an increased risk of cardiovascular events in the order of high (1.03), medium (1.14), and low (1.38) grip strength, and women had an increased risk of cardiovascular events in the order of high (1.07), medium (1.25), and low (1.56) grasping power.
“These findings suggest that low muscle strength may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in MASLD patients and that strength management is important in this population,” Professor Lim said. “Further studies are needed to determine whether muscle strength interventions can prevent cardiovascular disease. This study could serve as a basis for that.”
Professor Kim said, “This study once again suggests that it is important for patients with fatty liver to make efforts to maintain and improve their muscle strength.”
Kim added that strength and muscle mass inevitably decline during the aging process, but efforts should be made to maintain them through proper nutrition and regular exercise.