Associations between sitting time and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases in Chinese male workers: a cross-sectional study.
Various studies have revealed a close association between sedentary behaviour and metabolic diseases, yet the association between sedentary time and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the association between sitting time and NAFLD in a Chinese male population and explored its underlying mechanism.



A cross-sectional study.



Chongqing, China.



Our study included 2054 male participants; all of the participants were of Han nationality.



Sitting time was assessed using a self-reported questionnaire concerning the time devoted to sitting behaviour. Various clinical and demographic biomarkers were measured. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the ORs and the 95% CIs between sitting time and NAFLD.



We found a higher proportion of NAFLD across the tertiles of sitting time (p trend=0.003). Multivariate linear regression analyses showed sitting time independently correlated with homoeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), alanine aminotransferase, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, body mass index, triglyceride and the high-sensitive C reactive protein (hsCRP) (all p<0.05). Further logistic regression analyses showed that longer sitting time (>7.1 hours/day) was associated with a higher prevalence of NAFLD (OR 1.09; 95% CI (1.04 to 1.67)) after adjusting for confounders. However, this association was insignificant after further adjusting for hsCRP (OR 1.03; 95% CI (0.92 to 1.84)).



Sitting time was positively associated with the prevalence of NAFLD, and this association might be affected by inflammation.
Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, 400016 Chongqing, China, Chongqing, China.
Huili
H
Wei
Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, 400016 Chongqing, China, Chongqing, China.
Hua
H
Qu
Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, 400016 Chongqing, China, Chongqing, China.
Hang
H
Wang
Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, 400016 Chongqing, China, Chongqing, China.
Huacong
H
Deng
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004651:Employment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011187:Posture; D012307:Risk Factors; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; inflammation; sitting time