High dietary sodium intake assessed by estimated 24-h urinary sodium excretion is associated with NAFLD and hepatic fibrosis

Ji Hye Huh, Kyong Joo Lee, Jung Soo Lim, Mi Young Lee, Hong Jun Park, Moon Young Kim, Jae Woo Kim, Choon Hee Chung, Jang Yel Shin, Hyun Soo Kim, Sang Ok Kwon, Soon Koo Baik

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

41 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background Although high sodium intake is associated with obesity and hypertension, few studies have investigated the relationship between sodium intake and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We evaluated the association between sodium intake assessed by estimated 24-h urinary sodium excretion and NAFLD in healthy Koreans. Methods We analyzed data from 27,433 participants in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (2008-2010). The total amount of sodium excretion in 24-h urine was estimated using Tanaka's equations from spot urine specimens. Subjects were defined as having NAFLD when they had high scores in previously validated NAFLD prediction models such as the hepatic steatosis index (HSI) and fatty liver index (FLI). BARD scores and FIB-4 were used to define advanced fibrosis in subjects with NAFLD. Results The participants were classified into three groups according to estimated 24-h urinary excretion tertiles. The prevalence of NAFLD as assessed by both FLI and HSI was significantly higher in the highest estimated 24-h urinary sodium excretion tertile group. Even after adjustment for confounding factors including body fat and hypertension, the association between higher estimated 24-h urinary sodium excretion and NAFLD remained significant (Odds ratios (OR) 1.39, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.26-1.55, in HSI; OR 1.75, CI 1.39-2.20, in FLI, both P < 0.001). Further, subjects with hepatic fibrosis as assessed by BARD score and FIB-4 in NAFLD patients had higher estimated 24-h urinary sodium values. Conclusions High sodium intake was independently associated with an increased risk of NAFLD and advanced liver fibrosis.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere0143222
JournalPloS one
Volume10
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015 Nov 1

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Huh et al.This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'High dietary sodium intake assessed by estimated 24-h urinary sodium excretion is associated with NAFLD and hepatic fibrosis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this