Relationship between Chewing Status and Fatty Liver Diagnosed by Liver/Spleen Attenuation Ratio: A Cross-Sectional Study.

This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between chewing status and fatty liver among Japanese adults. Between April 2018 and March 2021, 450 individuals (352 males, 98 females; mean age 54.7 years) were recruited at the Asahi University Hospital Human Health Center. Chewing status was evaluated using a self-reported questionnaire. Liver/spleen (L/S) attenuation ratio < 0.9 on computed tomography was considered to indicate fatty liver, which was present in 69 participants (15%). Compared with participants without fatty liver, those with fatty liver had higher proportion of 25.0 (kg/m 2 ) ≤ body mass index (BMI) ( p < 0.001), higher serum hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) ( p < 0.001), higher systolic blood pressure ( p < 0.001), higher diastolic blood pressure ( p < 0.001), and lower serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL cholesterol) ( p = 0.011). Significant differences were also found in chewing status ( p < 0.001) and eating speed ( p = 0.011). Presence of fatty liver was positively associated with BMI (25.0 ≤; odds ratio [OR], 5.048; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.550-9.992), serum HbA1c (OR, 1.937; 95% CI, 1.280-2.930), and chewing status (poor; OR, 8.912; 95% CI, 4.421-17.966) after adjusting for sex, age, BMI, serum HbA1c, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, serum HDL cholesterol, chewing status, and eating speed. Poor chewing status was positively associated with L/S attenuation ratio. These results indicate a positive relationship between poor chewing status and fatty liver diagnosed by L/S attenuation ratio in Japanese adults.