An Unobvious Risk Factor for Fatty Liver Disease Identified 0 39

Scientists from China have discovered that long-term shift work may be associated with an increased risk of metabolically associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). This conclusion was reached by specialists after analyzing data from more than nine thousand individuals. The work was published in Frontiers in Public Health.

The analysis showed that the relationship between shift work and liver condition is nonlinear. Workers with more than six years of shift work experience had a risk of MAFLD approximately 1.5 times higher than those who had never worked shifts. Moreover, after the first three years of such employment, the likelihood of the disease began to rise sharply — the researchers describe this dependence as J-shaped.

The work schedule itself also mattered. Two-, three-, and four-shift schedules were associated with an increased risk of fatty liver disease by 20 percent or more compared to a regular daytime schedule. This relationship was particularly pronounced with more complex shift rotation systems.

Additional analysis showed that almost half of this effect could be explained by an increase in body mass index. In other words, weight gain turned out to be a key intermediate link between shift work and metabolic disorders in the liver. The authors emphasize that the results indicate the need for obesity and metabolic disorder prevention among shift workers, especially with long-term experience in such work.