Affiliations 

  • 1 Total Healthcare Center, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 04514, Korea
  • 2 Center for Cohort Studies, Total Healthcare Center, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 04514, Korea
  • 3 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 03181, Korea
  • 4 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 03080, Korea
  • 5 Departments of Epidemiology and Medicine, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
  • 6 Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence Based Practice, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
  • 7 Department of Clinical Research Design & Evaluation, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences & Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06355, Korea
  • 8 Department of Precision Medicine, National Institute of Health, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Cheongju 28159, Korea
Nutrients, 2022 Jul 08;14(14).
PMID: 35889762 DOI: 10.3390/nu14142805

Abstract

The role of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in vasomotor symptom (VMS) risk in premenopausal women is unknown. We examined the prevalence of early-onset VMSs according to NAFLD status in lean and overweight premenopausal women. This cross-sectional study included 4242 premenopausal Korean women (mean age 45.4 years). VMSs (hot flashes and night sweats) were assessed using the Korean version of the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life questionnaire. Hepatic steatosis was determined using liver ultrasound; lean was defined as a body mass index of <23 kg/m2. Participants were categorized into four groups: NAFLD-free lean (reference), NAFLD-free overweight, lean NAFLD, and overweight NAFLD. Compared with the reference, the multivariable-adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) (95% confidence intervals (CIs)) for VMSs in NAFLD-free overweight, lean NAFLD, and overweight NAFLD were 1.22 (1.06−1.41), 1.38 (1.06−1.79), and 1.49 (1.28−1.73), respectively. For moderate-to-severe VMSs, the multivariable-adjusted PRs (95% CIs) comparing NAFLD-free overweight, lean NAFLD, and overweight NAFLD to the reference were 1.38 (1.10−1.74), 1.73 (1.16−2.57), and 1.74 (1.37−2.21), respectively. NAFLD, even lean NAFLD, was significantly associated with an increased risk of prevalent early-onset VMSs and their severe forms among premenopausal women. Further studies are needed to determine the longitudinal association between NAFLD and VMS risk.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.