Caitlyn Tan, Kai En Chan, Cheng Han Ng, Michael Tseng, Nicholas Syn, Ansel Shao Pin Tang, Yip Han Chin, Wen Hui Lim, Darren Jun Hao Tan, Nicholas Chew, Elden Yen Hng Ong, Teng Kiat Koh, Jieling Xiao, Douglas Chee, Arun Valsan, Mohammad Shadab Siddiqui, Daniel Huang, Mazen Noureddin, Karn Wijarnpreecha, and Mark D. Muthiah
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease worldwide yet predicting non-obese NAFLD is challenging. Thus, this study investigates the potential of regional fat percentages obtained by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in accurately assessing NAFLD risk. Using the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2018, multivariate logistic regression and marginal analysis were conducted according to quartiles of regional fat percentages, stratified by gender. A total of 23,752 individuals were analysed. Males generally showed a larger increase in marginal probabilities of NAFLD development than females, except in head fat, which had the highest predictive probabilities of non-obese NAFLD in females (13.81%, 95%CI: 10.82–16.79) but the lowest in males (21.89%, 95%CI: 20.12–23.60). Increased percent of trunk fat was the strongest predictor of both non-obese (OR: 46.61, 95%CI: 33.55–64.76, p < 0.001) and obese NAFLD (OR: 2.93, 95%CI: 2.07–4.15, p < 0.001), whereas raised percent gynoid and leg fat were the weakest predictors. Ectopic fat deposits are increased in patients with non-obese NAFLD, with greater increases in truncal fat over gynoid fat. As increased fat deposits in all body regions can increase odds of NAFLD, therapeutic intervention to decrease ectopic fat, particularly truncal fat, may decrease NAFLD risk.