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The following is a summary of “prevalence of Mafld in the United States on the basis of Nhanes 2009-2018: differences in demographic characteristics, physical indices and lifestyle conditions”, published in the May 2025 issue of BMC gastroenterology By Ye et al.
The incidence of liver disease associated with metabolic dysfunction (MAFLD) was raised in American adults, but studies on its presence in distinct ethnic groups have been limited.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine people with MAFLD living in the United States, considering demographic characteristics, physical clues and lifestyle conditions.
They used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (Nhanes) covering 2009-2018, which included 23,546 participants aged ≥ 20 years. The variables analyzed included age, sex, race, body mass index (BMI), waist tower (WC), blood pressure, sedentary behavior, sleep and depression.
The results showed that among 9,933 participants, 3,562 (34.1%) had a MAFLD, with higher percentages among Americans of Mexican (54.1%) and lower origin in black (20.5%). The MAFLD incidence was significantly higher (P<0.001) in men (39%) that women (29.2%), especially in the age group of 36 to 40 years. The incidence followed a diagram dependent on age, increasing and decreasing (except in whites). Compared to white patients with MAFLD, black patients had a BMI, WC, higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), while these measures were lower in American Americans. Logistic regression adjusted for age and sex has shown that depression was more frequent in patients with MAFLD (P<0.001), except for severe depression (P> 0.05) and the MAFLD incidence was not significantly linked to the sedentary behavior or the duration of the sleep.
Investigators concluded that, although the MAFLD’s incidence varied between racial, age and sex groups, requiring targeted interventions, additional research was necessary to explore the correlations between the MAFLD incidence, sleep habits and an inactive lifestyle.
Source: bmcgastroenterol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/S12876-025-03956-2