Table 1.
Clinical and biochemical characteristics of participants according to the occurrence of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease
| NAFLD | Non‐NAFLD | P‐value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| n | 313 | 169 | |
| Mild steatosis | 274 | ||
| Moderate steatosis | 33 | ||
| Severe steatosis | 6 | ||
| Age (years) | 58.5 ± 13.5 | 62.5 ± 11.7 | 0.0008 |
| Duration of diabetes (years) | 8 (2–15) | 11 (6–20) | <0.0001 |
| Male sex | 125 (39.9) | 86 (50.9) | 0.0207 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 94.7 ± 9.2 | 90.2 ± 9.3 | <0.0001 |
| Abnormal waist circumference | 167 (53.4) | 58 (34.3) | <0.0001 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 27.5 ± 3.6 | 25.1 ± 3.7 | <0.0001 |
| BMI <24.0 kg/m2 | 52 (16.6) | 52 (16.6) | <0.0001 |
| BMI ≥24 and <28.0 kg/m2 | 130 (41.5) | 78 (46.2) | |
| BMI ≥28.0 kg/m2 | 131 (41.9) | 31 (18.3) | |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 150.4 ± 21.3 | 148.3 ± 21.4 | 0.2949 |
| HDL‐C (mmol/L) | 1.19 ± 0.30 | 1.29 ± 0.33 | 0.0008 |
| LDL‐C (mmol/L) | 2.57 ± 0.82 | 2.52 ± 0.85 | 0.5843 |
| Triglyceride (mmol/L) | 1.73 (1.30–2.66) | 1.23 (0.87–1.67) | <0.0001 |
| HbA1c (%) | 8.50 (7.30–10.10) | 8.00 (6.80–9.40) | 0.0009 |
| Fasting blood glucose (mmol/L) | 9.88 ± 3.56 | 9.04 ± 3.59 | 0.5843 |
| C‐peptide (ng/mL) | 1.60 (1.10–2.17) | 1.03 (0.74–1.44) | <0.0001 |
| Fasting insulin (mU/L) | 13.1 (8.5–21.5) | 9.5 (5.7–18.7) | 0.0001 |
| Liver fibrosis score (kPa) | 7.1 (6.0–8.9) | 7.0 (5.7–9.0) | 0.4975 |
| AST (U/L) | 20.28 (16.42–26.15) | 18.10 (15.50–23.26) | 0.0022 |
| AST ≥40 U/L | 29 (9.3) | 4 (2.4) | 0.0039 |
| ALT (U/L) | 23.99 (16.53–36.35) | 18.55 (13.75–25.17) | <0.0001 |
| ALT ≥40 U/L | 60 (19.2) | 10 (5.9) | <0.0001 |
| n3 PUFA (μmol/L) | 5,830.97 (4,832.26–7,241.60) | 5,355.43 (4,518.18–6,457.55) | 0.0022 |
| n3 PUFA ≥800 μmol/L | 53 (16.9) | 10 (5.9) | 0.0006 |
| n6 PUFA (μmol/L) | 592.47 (450.84–834.55) | 475.45 (383.72–623.56) | <0.0001 |
| n6 PUFA ≥8,100 μmol/L | 89 (28.4) | 22 (13.0) | 0.0001 |
| n6/n3 ratio | 10.3 ± 3.9 | 11.7 ± 4.1 | 0.0002 |
| n6/n3 ratio ≤10 | 167 (53.4) | 63 (37.3) | 0.0007 |
| Prior CAD | 32 (10.2) | 13 (7.7) | 0.3620 |
| Prior stroke | 13 (4.2) | 11 (6.5) | 0.2767 |
| Diabetic retinopathy | 79 (26.3) | 70 (42.4) | 0.0003 |
| Diabetic nephropathy | 144 (46.0) | 80 (47.3) | 0.7798 |
| Hypoglycemic drugs | 293 (93.6) | 166 (98.2) | 0.0245 |
| Insulin (drug) | 175 (55.9) | 108 (63.9) | 0.0889 |
| Metformin | 164 (53.3) | 44 (26.2) | <0.0001 |
| Thiazolidinedione | 57 (18.5) | 6 (3.6) | <0.0001 |
| Lipid‐lowering drugs | 162 (51.8) | 66 (39.1) | 0.0077 |
Data are the mean ± standard deviation, median (interquartile range) or n (%). P‐values were derived from independent‐samples Student’s t‐test for normally distributed variables, Mann–Whitney U‐test for skewed distributions and χ2‐test (or Fisher’s test if appropriate) for categorical variables. Abnormal waist circumference, men ≥102 cm or women ≥88 cm.
ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; BMI, body mass index; CAD, coronary artery disease; HbA1c, glycated hemoglobin; HDL‐C, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL‐C, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol; NAFLD, non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease; PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acids.