AUTHOR=Xia Yang , Cao Limin , Liu Yashu , Wang Xuena , Zhang Shunming , Meng Ge , Zhang Qing , Liu Li , Wu Hongmei , Gu Yeqing , Wang Yawen , Zhang Tingjing , Wang Xing , Sun Shaomei , Zhou Ming , Jia Qiyu , Song Kun , Niu Kaijun , Zhao Yuhong 

TITLE=Longitudinal Associations Between Hand Grip Strength and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2021.752999

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2021.752999

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Purpose:</bold> This study aimed to determine the longitudinal association between hand grip strength (HGS) and the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in adults.</p><p><bold>Design:</bold> A cohort study.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> This study was conducted in a general Chinese population (<italic>n</italic> = 14,154) from 2013–2018. NAFLD was diagnosed by liver ultrasonography during evaluating alcohol consumption. The associations between the HGS and NAFLD were assessed using a multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> During the study period with a mean follow-up duration of 3.20 years, 2,452 participants developed NAFLD. The risk of NAFLD decreased progressively with increasing HGS in both men and women (<italic>P</italic> for trend &lt;0.0001). The multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios (95% <italic>CI</italic>) for NAFLD incidence across the quartiles of HGS were 1 (reference), 0.90 (0.79, 1.02), 0.69 (0.60, 0.79), and 0.44 (0.37, 0.52) for men and 1 (reference), 0.82 (0.69, 0.96), 0.54 (0.45, 0.66), and 0.41 (0.33, 0.52) for women, respectively. The interaction terms for body mass index (BMI)-HGS and waist-HGS were significant in men and women (all <italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.0001). The participants with normal BMIs and waist circumferences had the lowest hazard ratios on the subgroup analyses. The sensitivity analysis that defined NAFLD using the hepatic steatosis and fatty liver indices revealed results that were similar to the main analyses.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> The present study indicates that the HGS is inversely associated with the incidence of NAFLD.</p>