Exposure to Environmental Pollutants and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study

Growing evidence suggests that environmental pollutants may contribute to metabolic disorders, but their specific role in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) remains unclear. This study examines the association between multiple pollutant exposures and NAFLD risk, while exploring potential demographic variations in susceptibility. The study utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Based on diagnostic and exclusion criteria, a total of 2092 participants were included in the study, involving 16 types of environmental pollutants categorized into three groups. The Exposome-wide association study (ExWAS) was employed to analyze the relationship between exposure to environmental pollutants and NAFLD. The study included a total of 2092 participants, of whom 709 were diagnosed with NAFLD. ExWAS analysis revealed that barium, cobalt, cesium, iodine, molybdenum, thallium, and tungsten in urine were significantly positively correlated with NAFLD. Furthermore, subgroup analysis indicated that females and individuals under 65 years old were more susceptible to NAFLD due to environmental factors. Long-term exposure to environmental pollutants may increase the probability of NAFLD occurrence, and females and individuals under 65 years old may be more susceptible to these effects.