Sleep behaviours are associated with the risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease, according to a study published online 28 July in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Jialu Yang (PhD), from the Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Food, Nutrition and Health in Guangzhou, China, and colleagues examined the association between dimensions of sleep behaviours and the risk for metabolic dysfunction-associated liver disease (MAFLD) in a cross-sectional study of 5011 participants with radiologically diagnosed MAFLD.

The researchers found that after full adjustments, including obesity, there were significant associations seen for late bedtime, snoring, and daytime napping for over 30 minutes with increased risks of MAFLD (odds ratios of 1.37, 1.59, and 1.17, respectively).

The highest risk for MAFLD was seen for participants with disturbance in night-time sleep and prolonged daytime napping (odds ratio, 2.38). A 16% reduction in risk of MAFLD was seen for each additional increase of healthy sleep score.