Medically reviewed by Dr. Kimberly Langdon Cull, M.D. on July 25, 2023
There is a significant association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and an increased prevalence of early-onset vasomotor symptoms in premenopausal women.
Vasomotor symptoms are prevalent among women undergoing menopausal transition and are also associated with poor quality of life, metabolic disruption, and increased cardiovascular risk. It has been hypothesized that vasomotor symptoms and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are interrelated.
This cross-sectional study assessed the relationship between overweight and lean NAFLD and the prevalence of early-onset vasomotor symptoms. The study’s findings are published in the journal Nutrients.
Baseline Characteristics
The study population comprised 4242 women with a mean age of 45.4 ± 2.7 years. The overall prevalence of NAFLD and vasomotor symptoms in the study population was 18.9% and 22.0%, respectively. Compared to women without NAFLD, women with NAFLD tended to have a greater likelihood of metabolic diseases and vasomotor symptoms. In the study population, the prevalence of depression was 1.91%, and there was a relatively lower likelihood of depression in women with NAFLD compared to women without NAFLD.
Prevalence of Vasomotor Symptoms in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
The prevalence of overall vasomotor symptoms was 30.6% for overweight NAFLD, 26.79% for lean NAFLD, 23.78% for NAFLD-free overweight, and 18.89% for NAFLD-free lean.
Association Between NAFLD and Severity of Vasomotor Symptoms
The prevalence ratios for moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms were 1.74, 1.73, and 1.38 in overweight NAFLD, lean NAFLD, and NAFLD-free overweight participants, respectively.
Prevalence of Vasomotor Symptoms in NAFLD-Free Overweight and Lean NAFLD
The post hoc comparison test results showed no significant difference across NAFLD-free overweight and lean NAFLD groups for the prevalence of vasomotor symptoms.
Source
Cho, Y., Chang, Y., Choi, H. J., Kang, J., Kwon, R., Lim, G. Y., Ahn, J., Kim, K., Kim, H., Hong, Y., Zhao, D., Rampal, S., Cho, J., Park, D. H., Guallar, E., & Ryu, S. (2022). Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and risk of Early-Onset vasomotor symptoms in lean and overweight premenopausal women. Nutrients, 14(14), 2805. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14142805
