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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Aging
Sec. Healthy Longevity
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fragi.2025.1573170
Association of Sarcopenia and Physical Activity on the Severity of Metabolic dysfunction-associated Steatotic Liver Disease among United States adults
Provisionally accepted- 1Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, Shaanxi Province, China
- 2Beijing Institute of Hepatology, Beijing, China
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Sarcopenia, physical activity (PA), and sedentary behavior are associated with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). The study aimed to evaluate the effects of sarcopenia and PA on the presence and severity of MASLD.This cross-sectional study analyzed data from the 2017-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Hepatic steatosis and liver fibrosis were assessed by vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE). Sarcopenia was defined based on the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health criteria. PA and sedentary behavior were evaluated using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ).Among 1,831 participants, 664 were diagnosed with MASLD, including 482 with severe steatosis and 89 with significant fibrosis. The prevalence of sarcopenia in the MASLD and non-MASLD populations was 11.7% and 3.8%, respectively.Multivariable-adjusted models demonstrated that sarcopenia significantly increased the risk of MASLD (OR 2.45; 95% CI: 1.33-4.52), severe steatosis (OR 2.56; 95% CI: 1.40 -4.66), and significant fibrosis (OR 6.10; 95% CI: 2.08 -17.84).Additionally, individuals with sarcopenia and low PA had a 7.91-fold increased risk of developing significant fibrosis (OR, 7.91; 95% CI: 1.42 -44.16, P = 0.022).Sarcopenia and prolonged sedentary behavior further increased the risk of MASLD (OR 3.75; 95% CI: 1.60-8.76), severe steatosis (OR 17.58; 95% CI: 1.93-159.79), and significant fibrosis (OR 4.32; 95% CI: 1.31-14.31).Patients with sarcopenia should increase physical activity and reduce sedentary time to decrease the risk and progression of MASLD. Increasing muscle mass and strength through resistance exercise to reduce the risk of significant fibrosis in sarcopenia patients.
Keywords: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, physical activity, Sarcopenia, NHANES, liver fibrosis
Received: 11 Feb 2025; Accepted: 21 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Wei, Liu, Zhao, Zhang and Qiu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jing Zhang, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, Shaanxi Province, China
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