Zijin Sun, Jing Ji, Ling Zuo, Yifan Hu, Kai Wang, Tian Xu, Qingguo Wang, Fafeng Cheng
Journal: Frontiers in endocrinology 2023;14():1159258
PMID: 37334291
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is caused by a build up of fat in the liver. NAFLD is becoming more common, with the rise in rates of obesity. There are no specific medications available for NAFLD and patients are advised to manage their diets and lifestyle following diagnosis. The aim of this study was to assess and evaluate the causal relationship between sleep and NAFLD. The study was a two-way Mendelian randomised clinical trial. Results showed that different sleep traits can be the cause of the onset and exacerbation of NAFLD. NAFLD does not change sleep traits and the causal relationship between them is unidirectional. Authors conclude that sleep characteristics are associated with an elevated risk of NAFLD. Thus, enhancing sleep should be considered by healthcare practitioners as part of prevention and management NAFLD.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) is common worldwide and has previously been reported to be associated with sleep traits. However, it is not clear whether NAFLD changes sleep traits or whether the changes in sleep traits lead to the onset of NAFLD. The purpose of this study was to investigate the causal relationship between NAFLD and changes in sleep traits using Mendelian randomization.
METHODS
We proposed a bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis and performed validation analyses to dissect the association between NAFLD and sleep traits. Genetic instruments were used as proxies for NAFLD and sleep. Data of genome-wide association study(GWAS) were obtained from the center for neurogenomics and cognitive research database, Open GWAS database and GWAS catalog. Three MR methods were performed, including inverse variance weighted method(IVW), MR-Egger, weighted median.
RESULTS
In total,7 traits associated with sleep and 4 traits associated with NAFLD are used in this study. A total of six results showed significant differences. Insomnia was associated with NAFLD (OR(95% CI)= 2.25(1.18,4.27), P = 0.01), Alanine transaminase levels (OR(95% CI)= 2.79(1.70, 4.56), P =4.71×10-5) and percent liver fat(OR(95% CI)= 1.31(1.03,1.69), P = 0.03). Snoring was associated with percent liver fat (1.15(1.05,1.26), P =2×10-3), alanine transaminase levels (OR(95% CI)= 1.27(1.08,1.50), P =0.04).And dozing was associated with percent liver fat(1.14(1.02,1.26), P =0.02).For the remaining 50 outcomes, no significant or definitive association was yielded in MR analysis.
CONCLUSION
Genetic evidence suggests putative causal relationships between NAFLD and a set of sleep traits, indicating that sleep traits deserves high priority in clinical practice. Not only the confirmed sleep apnea syndrome, but also the sleep duration and sleep state (such as insomnia) deserve clinical attention. Our study proves that the causal relationship between sleep characteristics and NAFLD is the cause of the change of sleep characteristics, while the onset of non-NAFLD is the cause of the change of sleep characteristics, and the causal relationship is one-way.
Copyright © 2023 Sun, Ji, Zuo, Hu, Wang, Xu, Wang and Cheng.
© Copyright 2026, Nutrition Evidence
NED wishes to thank the following organisations for their support:
We use cookies to improve your experience and analyze site traffic with Google Analytics. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more.