Healthy diet, exercise and not smoking linked to 32% lower risk of fatty liver disease
A quarter of South Korean adults have a form of fatty liver disease linked to metabolic problems, according to a new study by a state-run health agency
The Korea National Institute of Health said 24.1 percent of adults were found to have metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, or MASLD, a chronic condition in which excess fat builds up in the liver alongside at least one metabolic risk factor
The findings were based on an analysis of 23,111 adults aged 19 to 80 who took part in national health surveys between 2016 and 2021
MASLD, previously known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, is closely associated with conditions including obesity, insulin resistance, high blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol levels
Researchers found that people who followed healthier lifestyles were significantly less likely to have the condition
Those who met three or four healthy lifestyle criteria — eating a healthy diet, getting sufficient exercise, not smoking and getting adequate sleep — were 28.6 percent less likely to have MASLD than those who met none or only one
People who met two of the criteria were 17.5 percent less likely to have the disease
Diet, exercise and smoking appeared to have the strongest association
Adults who ate healthily, exercised enough and did not smoke were 32 percent less likely to have MASLD than those who followed none or only one of those habits
For the study, a healthy diet was defined as scoring in the top third of the Korea Healthy Eating Index, which measures overall dietary quality on a 100-point scale
Sufficient physical activity meant at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise per week. Adequate sleep was defined as seven to nine hours a day
“MASLD is closely associated with cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors such as obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension and dyslipidemia, making healthy habits in everyday life important,” the researchers said
The findings were published online in BMC Public Health, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
