Association of physical fitness with visceral fat status and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease in individuals with spinal cord injury using manual wheelchair in Korea

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the association of physical fitness with visceral fat status and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) in Korea.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 113 individuals with SCI (aged ≥40 years; women, 19.5 %) who were receiving care at the disability welfare facilities in G and C Provinces. Data were collected from October 2022 to August 2024. The new visceral adiposity index was used to evaluate visceral fat status. MAFLD was assessed using fatty liver index (FLI), type 2 diabetes, body mass index, and metabolic risk factors. Physical fitness was measured by muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and cardiorespiratory endurance. After adjusting for age and sex, the participants were grouped into high, middle, and low fitness groups. The odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence interval (CI) for abnormal visceral adiposity and MAFLD, according to the fitness level, was calculated using binary logistic regression analysis.

Results

As the physical fitness level was decreasing, a significant linear trend toward increasing new visceral adiposity index (p < 0.01) and FLI (p < 0.01) scores were observed. The low fitness group exhibited a higher OR for abnormal visceral adiposity (OR = 3.64, 95 % CI = 1.28–10.37) and MAFLD (OR = 4.39, 95 % CI = 1.48–13.03) than the high fitness group (OR = 1.00).

Conclusion

The findings of this study suggest that improving physical fitness through various regular exercise range may be influential in maintaining an appropriate visceral fat status and preventing MAFLD in individuals with SCI.