Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in the non-obese population accounts for a large proportion of NAFLD. The association between the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) with the risk of NAFLD was limited, especially among non-obese participants.
Methods: We performed a post-hoc analysis of data obtained from the Dryad data repository and explored the predictive value of AIP on the risk of NAFLD among non-obese participants.
Results: 16173 participants with AIP were included in this study, and 2322(14.4%) non-obese participants developed into individuals with NAFLD with the 5-year follow-up examination. The difference between AIP quartiles in the cumulative estimation of new-onset NAFLD was significant. And with increased AIP, the cumulative primary outcomes gradually increased. Participants in higher AIP quartiles had a significantly increased risk of NAFLD. In the fully adjusted Model 3, HRs of the primary outcome for subjects in Q2, Q3, and Q4 of AIP were 1.56 (1.29, 1.89), 2.12 (1.78, 2.53), and 2.78 (2.35, 3.92) respectively. Meanwhile, the trend test for the association between AIP quartiles and the primary outcome presented that AIP quartile was positively and strongly associated with the primary outcome (adjusted HR (95%CI) in Model 3: 1.37 (1.31, 1.44), P<0.001). In the subgroup analysis, we revealed a significant interaction between systolic blood pressure categories (<120mmHg vs. >=120mmHg; P for interaction =0.011) and NAFLD.
Conclusion: This study found AIP was a strong independent risk factor for new-onset NAFLD among non-obese individuals and screening for AIP in this population can be used to prevent future NAFLD.