Association of hand-grip strength and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease index in older adults

[Purpose] This study examined the association of hand-grip strength (HGS) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) index in older adults. [Methods] This was a cross-sectional study involving 538 older adults with mean age of 74.3±6.4 years. Body composition parameters including height, percent body fat, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), was determined using body composition analyzer. HGS was assessed using a dynamometer, and NAFLD was diagnosed by the simple NAFLD score (SNS), hepatic steatosis index (HSI), NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS), and fibrosis 4 calculator (FIB-4). Based on relative HGS, subjects were classified as High HGS, Mid HGS, and Low HGS group. Based on SNS, HSI, NFS and FIB-4 score, subjects were classified as High risk and Low risk group. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of HGS levels for having steatosis and fibrosis. [Results] There were linear decreases in NAFLD index such as SNS (P<.001), HSI (P<.001), NFS (P=.001), and FIB-4 (P=.041) across incremental HGS levels. Compared to the High HGS group (reference), the Low HGS group had significantly higher ORs of having SNS (OR=4.583, 95% CI=2.608-8.054, P<.001), HSI (OR=11.697, 95% CI=5.261-26.005, P<.001), and NFS (OR=1.709, 95% CI=1.005-2.907, P=.048). [Conclusion] The current findings suggest that a lifestyle intervention consisting of a normal weight and physical fitness should be promoted as a preventive means against NAFLD associated with HGS. Keywords: older adults, hand-grip strength, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, steatosis, fibrosis