Association between circadian syndrome and MASLD risk: evidence from a large cross-sectional study

May 21, 2025BMC gastroenterology

Link between body clock problems and risk of fatty liver disease

AI simplified

Circadian Biology on OpenScience ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗OA ↗

Abstract

Individuals with (CircS) have an adjusted odds ratio of 4.123 for developing (MASLD).

A significant association exists between CircS and MASLD.
Higher CircS scores correlate with increased risk of MASLD.
The association between CircS and MASLD remains consistent across different demographic groups.
CircS may aid in identifying individuals at higher risk for MASLD.
Further validation in prospective studies is needed to confirm the clinical utility of CircS in routine practice.

AI simplified

BACKGROUND: (MASLD) is a prevalent chronic liver condition closely associated with metabolic syndrome and linked to circadian disruptions. (CircS), a constellation of metabolic and circadian dysregulations, has emerged as a risk factor for metabolic disorders. This study aims to examine the association between CircS and MASLD and to evaluate the potential relevance of CircS in identifying individuals at elevated MASLD risk.

METHODS: Data from 2,288 participants in the 2017-2018 U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycle were analyzed. Weighted logistic regression models were used to assess the overall association between CircS and MASLD. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) analyses were applied to evaluate the dose-response relationship. Subgroup analyses were conducted to explore potential effect modifiers underlying the CircS-MASLD association.

RESULTS: A significant association between CircS and MASLD was observed. Application of weighted logistic regression revealed that individuals with CircS had increased odds of MASLD (adjusted OR = 4.123, 95% CI: 2.489-6.832, P = 0.001) after adjusting for demographic, lifestyle, and metabolic covariates. The association was consistent across demographic subgroups, with a linear trend showing higher CircS scores correlating with increased MASLD risk.

CONCLUSION: CircS is significantly associated with MASLD and may have potential implications for early risk identification and targeted intervention. However, its clinical utility requires further validation in prospective studies before integration into routine practice.

Key numbers

4.123

Increased Odds of

Adjusted odds ratio for individuals with vs. without .

2,288

Study Participants

Total number of participants analyzed in the NHANES survey.

972 of 2,288

Prevalence

Number of participants identified with out of the total sample.

Full Text

We can’t show the full text here under this license. Use the link below to read it at the source.

View full text (PDF) ↗View full text (HTML) ↗

Association between circadian syndrome and MASLD risk: evidence from a large cross-sectional study

Abstract

Key numbers

Full Text

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

what lands in your inbox each week:

Recent issues from the circadian biology brief

Abstract

Key numbers

Full Text

Related papers

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

what lands in your inbox each week:

Recent issues from the circadian biology brief