{"title":"Liver fibrosis increases the risk of subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with MASLD: a cross-sectional and longitudinal study.","authors":"Haoyu Zhang, Fei Lin, Mengyuan Miao, Chengxiao Yu, Wen Guo","doi":"10.1186/s12986-025-00951-y","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>This study investigated the associations between both the progression and regression of liver fibrosis and subclinical atherosclerosis in patients withmetabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 5,633MASLD participants who underwent transient elastography and carotid ultrasonography (Stage I). Additionally, a longitudinal study followed 2,670MASLD individuals without carotid atherosclerosis (CAS) at baseline, who underwent at least two health check-up examinations (Stage II). We used CAS and brachial ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) as markers of subclinical atherosclerosis and calculated the noninvasive fibrosis index FIB-4 to evaluate the probability of fibrosis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In Stage I study, liver fibrosis was associated with increased CAS risk (OR = 1.17, 95%CI1.01-1.37, P = 0.045) and elevated baPWV (OR = 1.49, 95%CI 1.06-2.09, P = 0.022). In Stage II study, during a median of 24 months of follow-up, 466 (17.45%)MASLD patients developed CAS. Compared to patients with stable low probability, those who progressed to a high-intermediate probability of advanced fibrosis had a higher risk of incident CAS (HR = 1.89, 95%CI1.42-2.51, P < 0.001). In addition, persistent high-intermediate probability and regression to low probability of advanced fibrosis were associated with 2.32-fold (95%CI 1.86-2.89, P < 0.001) and 1.82-fold (95% 1.22-2.71, P = 0.004) increased risk of incident CAS, respectively. Moreover, persistent high-intermediate probability was independently correlated with elevated baPWV risk (HR = 3.17, 95%CI 1.76-5.71, P < 0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Persistent or progression to high-intermediate probability of fibrosis was associated with an increased risk of subclinical atherosclerosis, while regression to low probability of fibrosis does not significantly reduce this risk.</p>","PeriodicalId":19196,"journal":{"name":"Nutrition & Metabolism","volume":"22 1","pages":"68"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12218835/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Nutrition & Metabolism","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12986-025-00951-y","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"NUTRITION & DIETETICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: This study investigated the associations between both the progression and regression of liver fibrosis and subclinical atherosclerosis in patients withmetabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 5,633MASLD participants who underwent transient elastography and carotid ultrasonography (Stage I). Additionally, a longitudinal study followed 2,670MASLD individuals without carotid atherosclerosis (CAS) at baseline, who underwent at least two health check-up examinations (Stage II). We used CAS and brachial ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) as markers of subclinical atherosclerosis and calculated the noninvasive fibrosis index FIB-4 to evaluate the probability of fibrosis.
Results: In Stage I study, liver fibrosis was associated with increased CAS risk (OR = 1.17, 95%CI1.01-1.37, P = 0.045) and elevated baPWV (OR = 1.49, 95%CI 1.06-2.09, P = 0.022). In Stage II study, during a median of 24 months of follow-up, 466 (17.45%)MASLD patients developed CAS. Compared to patients with stable low probability, those who progressed to a high-intermediate probability of advanced fibrosis had a higher risk of incident CAS (HR = 1.89, 95%CI1.42-2.51, P < 0.001). In addition, persistent high-intermediate probability and regression to low probability of advanced fibrosis were associated with 2.32-fold (95%CI 1.86-2.89, P < 0.001) and 1.82-fold (95% 1.22-2.71, P = 0.004) increased risk of incident CAS, respectively. Moreover, persistent high-intermediate probability was independently correlated with elevated baPWV risk (HR = 3.17, 95%CI 1.76-5.71, P < 0.001).
Conclusions: Persistent or progression to high-intermediate probability of fibrosis was associated with an increased risk of subclinical atherosclerosis, while regression to low probability of fibrosis does not significantly reduce this risk.
期刊介绍:
Nutrition & Metabolism publishes studies with a clear focus on nutrition and metabolism with applications ranging from nutrition needs, exercise physiology, clinical and population studies, as well as the underlying mechanisms in these aspects.
The areas of interest for Nutrition & Metabolism encompass studies in molecular nutrition in the context of obesity, diabetes, lipedemias, metabolic syndrome and exercise physiology. Manuscripts related to molecular, cellular and human metabolism, nutrient sensing and nutrient–gene interactions are also in interest, as are submissions that have employed new and innovative strategies like metabolomics/lipidomics or other omic-based biomarkers to predict nutritional status and metabolic diseases.
Key areas we wish to encourage submissions from include:
-how diet and specific nutrients interact with genes, proteins or metabolites to influence metabolic phenotypes and disease outcomes;
-the role of epigenetic factors and the microbiome in the pathogenesis of metabolic diseases and their influence on metabolic responses to diet and food components;
-how diet and other environmental factors affect epigenetics and microbiota; the extent to which genetic and nongenetic factors modify personal metabolic responses to diet and food compositions and the mechanisms involved;
-how specific biologic networks and nutrient sensing mechanisms attribute to metabolic variability.