Increased risk of low bone mineral density in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a cohort study.

NAFLD has been suggested to be a risk factor associated with low BMD (bone mineral density) in several cross-sectional studies. This longitudinal cohort study aims to explore the effect of NAFLD and its severity on low BMD.

Commentary

The present longitudinal cohort study aims to explore the effect of NAFLD and its severity on low BMD.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been suggested to be a risk factor associated with low BMD (bone mineral density) in several cross-sectional studies. The present longitudinal cohort study aims to explore the effect of NAFLD and its severity on low BMD. Between January 2013 and August 2018, individuals who participated in annual comprehensive health examinations were included.

BMD was presented using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). These subjects were diagnosed with fatty liver by ultrasound detection. A total of 1720 subjects were included (1064 subjects with normal BMD and 656 subjects with low BMD) at baseline. NAFLD and its severity were independently associated with an increased incidence of low BMD. Obesity and female sex are risk factors associated with low BMD. These findings indicate NAFLD can be a significant contributor to low BMD, requiring further studies to elucidate the potential mechanisms.

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Prof. Christopher Byrne

Professor Christopher Byrne trained as a clinical scientist in the UK and the US, at Cardiff, Cambridge and Stanford Universities. He undertook a PhD studying liver lipid metabolism at Cambridge University. He was a post-doctoral fellow at Stanford University and then an MRC fellow at Cambridge University.

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