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The following is a summary of “Relative fat mass and risk of metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease and severe hepatic steatosis in U.S. adults: analysis of NHANES 2017–2020 data,” published in the May 2025 issue of BMC Gastroenterology by Wang et al. 

Relative fat mass (RFM) was recognized as a simple and cost-effective measure of body fat and distribution, but its relationship with metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and severe hepatic steatosis (SHS) had not been thoroughly investigated.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to analyze the association between RFM and the likelihood of MASLD or SHS.  

They investigated data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2017.01–2020.03) in a population-based cross-sectional study. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between RFM and the prevalence of MASLD and SHS. Nonlinear relationships were evaluated using smoothed curve fitting and threshold effect models. Subgroup analyses were performed to test the consistency of associations across different population groups.  

The results showed that among 6,699 participants, 2,825 had MASLD and 1,834 had SHS. After adjusting for confounders, RFM was significantly associated with higher odds of MASLD (odds ratio [OR], 1.22; 95% CI, 1.18–1.26) and SHS (OR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.21–1.30). Nonlinear associations were identified with thresholds at 41.96 for MASLD and 40.42 for SHS. Subgroup analyses by sex, age, race, education, smoking, income, body mass index (BMI), hypertension, and diabetes revealed no significant interactions with RFM.  

Investigators concluded that RFM showed a positive nonlinear association with MASLD and SHS, indicating its potential as a simple, cost-effective marker for identifying individuals at higher risk. 

Source: bmcgastroenterol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12876-025-04006-7