Key Takeaway: In a study of nearly 9,000 Australians aged 70 and older, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) was linked to a slow but measurable decline in physical quality of life over five years. While this effect is modest at the individual level, it carries significant weight on a population scale, particularly for women and those already experiencing frailty.
The Insidious Condition
Imagine a woman in her mid-seventies. She gardens on weekends, walks to the shops most mornings, and considers herself reasonably healthy. She is unaware that fat has been silently accumulating in her liver for years; there is no pain, no jaundice, no obvious warning sign. Yet, over the next five years, she notices something subtle: her walks get shorter, the rows in her vegetable garden shrink, and the stairs feel a bit more challenging. She attributes it to old age. But what if her liver has been whispering a different story all along?
This is the central question raised by a large, long-term study conducted in Australia. By following thousands of older adults, the research reveals that metabolic fatty liver disease, even in its silent form, is associated with a gradual erosion of physical well-being.
How the Study Was Conducted
The study included 8,880 community-dwelling Australians aged 70 and older, who were followed for a median of 5.5 years. Researchers identified MASLD, formerly known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), using the Fatty Liver Index, a validated scoring tool based on body mass index, waist circumference, triglycerides, and a liver enzyme called gamma-glutamyl transferase[2]. To meet the definition of MASLD, participants also had to fulfill specific cardiometabolic criteria, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or abnormal lipid levels.
Physical quality of life was measured…
ŞA
Medically reviewed by
Dr. Şekip Altunkan
Dr. Şekip Altunkan is an internal medicine specialist with extensive clinical experience. He trained at Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine and later served as an Associate Professor in Internal Medicine. He founded and led the Metropol Internal Medicine and Hypertension Clinic in Ankara, pioneering non-invasive Electron Beam Tomography (EBT) cardiac imaging, arterial-stiffness measurement, and nationwide Holter monitoring. He currently practices at his private clinic in Ankara, focusing on hypertension, vascular health, cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease. He has published widely in national and international journals, serves as a peer reviewer for several international journals, and is the author of the book "Questions and Answers on Hypertension."
