Circadian Misalignment Rather Than Sleep Duration is Associated with MAFLD: A Population-Based Propensity...

Area of Science:

• Metabolic health
• Sleep science
• Hepatology

Background:

• Circadian misalignment (CM) is a known contributor to metabolic disorders.
• Metabolic (dysfunction) associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a recently defined condition requiring metabolic dysfunction.
• The relationship between CM and MAFLD is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between circadian misalignment (CM) and metabolic (dysfunction) associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD).

Main Methods:

• Utilized the NHANES 2017-2018 database.
• Diagnosed liver steatosis and fibrosis using Fibroscan®.
• Defined CM by mistimed, late, or irregular sleep patterns.
• Employed propensity score matching (PSM) for age and gender.

Main Results:

• A higher prevalence of MAFLD was observed in the CM group (45.41% vs 28.48%).
• Circadian misalignment (CM) more than doubled the risk of MAFLD.
• Short sleep duration (<6 hours) was not an independent risk factor for MAFLD or liver fibrosis when CM was considered.

Conclusions:

• Circadian misalignment (CM) is an independent risk factor for metabolic (dysfunction) associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD).
• Short sleep duration alone is not an independent predictor of MAFLD or liver fibrosis when controlling for CM.