Association between lifestyle factors and liver function parameters in the middle-aged and older population.

BACKGROUND

Increasing evidence supports a higher risk of abnormal liver function parameters due to unfavorable lifestyles. We therefore explored the synergistic effects of various lifestyle factors on liver function.

METHODS

8710 participants from Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study were included. Five lifestyle factors including non-smoking, non-alcohol use, physically active, non-central and non-general obesity were assessed and a Healthy Lifestyle Index (HLI) (0-5, a higher score indicates healthier lifestyle) was generated. Multivariable linear regression was used to examine the association of HLI with liver function parameters, yielding regression coefficients (βs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

A total of 8710 participants with an average age of 64.67 years (standard deviation = 6.07) were included. Of them, 71.65% were women. After adjusting for sex, age, education, family income, and comorbidities, compared with those with HLI of zero, those with HLI scores of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 showed a lower ALT level by -5.85 IU/L (95% CI: -10.73, -0.97), -9.97 IU/L (95% CI: -14.53, -5.42), -11.34 IU/L(95% CI: -15.86, -6.82), -12.81 IU/L (95% CI: -17.33, -8.30), and - 14.15 IU/L (95% CI: -18.68, -9.62), respectively (P for trend < 0.001), and a lower AST level by 1.82 IU/L (95% CI: -4.85,1.21), -3.74 IU/L (95% CI: -6.57, -0.91), -4.47 IU/L (95% CI: -7.28, -1.66), -4.69 IU/L (95% CI: -7.49, -1.88), and - 4.75 IU/L (95% CI: -7.57, -1.94), respectively (P for trend < 0.001). Similar trends were observed for a higher ALB level with higher healthy lifestyle scores (P for trend = 0.003).

CONCLUSIONS

A healthy lifestyle was associated with optimal liver function parameters, highlighting the importance of advocating for health-conscious behaviors to potentially mitigate the incidence of liver dysfunction.