A research team at Gangnam Severance Hospital has uncovered a significant correlation between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and an increased risk of developing dementia in individuals over the age of 60.

The study, led by Professors Lee Jung-il and Lee Hyun-woong of the Department of Gastroenterology, concluded so after analyzing data from 107,367 participants aged 60 and above who underwent the National Health Screening in Korea in 2009.

After excluding individuals with alcohol addiction, chronic hepatitis B or C, and those with a history of strokes potentially leading to vascular dementia, the sample was narrowed down to 65,690.

A Gangnam Severance Hospital research team, led by Professors Lee Jung-il (left) and Lee Hyun-woong, found that those with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease have higher risk of developing dementia.
A Gangnam Severance Hospital research team, led by Professors Lee Jung-il (left) and Lee Hyun-woong, found that those with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease have a higher risk of developing dementia.

Using the Fatty Liver Index (FLI) to diagnose NAFLD, the researchers identified 5,837 individuals with the disease and established a final research group of 47,388 subjects, including those presumed not to have fatty liver.

Out of the final cohort, 15.2 percent (7,209 individuals) were identified as having symptoms of dementia.

The study further divided these individuals into an experimental group with dementia (2,844 individuals) and a control group without dementia (14,220 individuals), taking into account variables such as age, gender, body mass index, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose levels, hypertension, diabetes, smoking status, and economic status.

The results revealed that within the dementia group, 6.8 percent (192 individuals) had NAFLD, compared to 5.5 percent (784 individuals) in the control group.

The study concluded that individuals with NAFLD were approximately 1.5 times more likely to develop dementia, with a risk ratio of 1.493 regardless of the presence of diabetes.

"Although further research is needed, like diabetes, a metabolic disorder, NAFLD is cautiously predicted to increase the risk of developing dementia,” Professor Lee Jung-il said. “As a result, it is important to reduce obesity and increase physical activity as primary steps in treating both diabetes and NAFLD.”

The research results were published in the latest issue of Annals Academy of Medicine Singapore.

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