Abstract
Background & Aims
The goal of this study was to examine the association of sitting time and physical
activity level with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in Korean men and women
and to explore whether any observed associations were mediated by adiposity.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was performed on 139,056 Koreans, who underwent a health examination
between March 2011 and December 2013. Physical activity level and sitting time were
assessed using the validated Korean version of the international Physical Activity
Questionnaire Short Form. The presence of fatty liver was determined using ultrasonographic
findings. Poisson regression models with robust variance were used to evaluate the
association of sitting time and physical activity level with NAFLD.
Results
Of the 139,056 subjects, 39,257 had NAFLD. In a multivariable-adjusted model, both
prolonged sitting time and decreased physical activity level were independently associated
with increasing prevalence of NAFLD. The prevalence ratios (95% CIs) for NAFLD comparing
5–9 and ⩾10 h/day sitting time to <5 h/day were 1.04 (1.02–1.07) and 1.09 (1.06–1.11), respectively (p for trend <0.001). These associations were still observed in subjects with BMI <23 kg/m2. The prevalence ratios (95% CIs) for NAFLD comparing minimally active and health-enhancing
physically active groups to the inactive group were 0.94 (0.92–0.95) and 0.80 (0.78–0.82),
respectively (p for trend <0.001).
Conclusions
Prolonged sitting time and decreased physical activity level were positively associated
with the prevalence of NAFLD in a large sample of middle-aged Koreans, supporting
the importance of reducing time spent sitting in addition to promoting physical activity.
Graphical abstract
Graphical Abstract
Abbreviations:
BMI (body mass index), CI (confidence interval), CVD (cardiovascular disease), FLI (fatty liver index), HEPA (health-enhancing physically active), HOMA-IR (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance), HDL-C (high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol), LDL-C (low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol), NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease), SMI (skeletal muscle mass)Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 14, 2015
Accepted:
July 9,
2015
Received in revised form:
July 2,
2015
Received:
May 14,
2015
See Editorial, pages 1064–1065Identification
Copyright
© 2015 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
