Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Feb 21, 2024; 30(7): 636-643
Published online Feb 21, 2024. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v30.i7.636
Muscle strength and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease/metabolic-associated fatty liver disease
Xuan-Yu Hao, Kai Zhang, Xing-Yong Huang, Fei Yang, Si-Yu Sun
Xuan-Yu Hao, Kai Zhang, Xing-Yong Huang, Fei Yang, Department of Gastroenterology, Endoscopic Center, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, Liaoning Province, China
Si-Yu Sun, Department of Gastroenterology, Endoscopic Center, Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education for Minimally Invasive Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Techniques, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, Liaoning Province, China
Author contributions: Sun SY and Zhang K were involved in the study conception and design; Hao XY, Zhang K, Huang XY and Yang F wrote the manuscript; Sun SY performed critical revision of the article for important intellectual content; all authors approved the final version of the article.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82000625; and the Doctoral Scientific Research Foundation of Liaoning Province, No. 2020-BS-109.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Si-Yu Sun, MD, PhD, Chief Doctor, Director, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, Endoscopic Center, Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education for Minimally Invasive Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Techniques, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, No. 36 Sanhao Street, Shenyang 110004, Liaoning Province, China. sun-siyu@163.com
Received: December 5, 2023
Peer-review started: December 5, 2023
First decision: December 7, 2023
Revised: December 12, 2023
Accepted: January 22, 2024
Article in press: January 22, 2024
Published online: February 21, 2024
Abstract

This editorial comments on an article published in a recent issue of World Journal of Gastroenterology, entitled “Association of low muscle strength with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease: A nationwide study”. We focused on the association between muscle strength and the incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), as well as the mechanisms underlying the correlation and related clinical applications. NAFLD, which is now redefined as MAFLD, is one of the most common chronic liver diseases globally with an increasing prevalence and is characterized by malnutrition, which may contribute to decreased muscle strength. Reduction of muscle strength reportedly has a pathogenesis similar to that of NAFLD/ MAFLD, including insulin resistance, inflammation, sedentary behavior, as well as insufficient vitamin D. Multiple studies have focused on the relationship between sarcopenia or muscle strength and NAFLD. However, studies investigating the relationship between muscle strength and MAFLD are limited. Owing to the shortage of specific medications for NAFLD/MAFLD treatment, early detection is essential. Furthermore, the relationship between muscle strength and NAFLD/MAFLD suggests that improvements in muscle strength may have an impact on disease prevention and may provide novel insights into treatments including dietary therapy, as well as tailored physical activity.

Keywords: Muscle strength, Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease, Sarcopenia, Insulin resistance, Inflammation

Core Tip: The relationship between muscle strength and the incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), as well as the mechanisms underlying the correlation and related clinical applications were discussed. Muscle strength may play an imperative role in the incidence and development of NAFLD/MAFLD and interventions to improve muscle strength in the management of NAFLD/MAFLD may provide novel insights into the treatment of these diseases.