Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity (Mar 2023)
Combining Fat-to-Muscle Ratio and Alanine Aminotransferase/Aspartate Aminotransferase Ratio in the Prediction of Cardiometabolic Risk: A Cross-Sectional Study
Abstract
Fengqin Yan, Guqiao Nie, Nianli Zhou, Meng Zhang, Wen Peng Department of General Practice, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Wen Peng, Department of General Practice, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1277 Jiefang Avenue, Jianghan District, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 13986074846, Email [email protected]: Altered body composition and liver enzymes are known to be related to cardiometabolic risk. Our study aimed to evaluate the association between fat-to-muscle ratio (FMR), alanine aminotransferase/aspartate aminotransferase (ALT/AST) ratio and cardiometabolic risk.Methods: In total, 1557 participants aged ≥ 40 years were included. A bioelectrical impedance analyzer (BIA) was used to measure fat mass and muscle mass. We created a cardiometabolic risk score with one point for each cardiometabolic risk factor, including elevated triglycerides (TGs), decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), elevated blood pressure (BP), and abnormal blood glucose, yielding a score of 0– 4 for each participant (≥ 2 for high-risk and < 2 for low-risk). Logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the relationship between FMR, ALT/AST ratio and cardiometabolic risk.Results: FMR and ALT/AST ratio were significantly higher in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group (P< 0.001). FMR and ALT/AST ratio were both positively correlated with a higher cardiometabolic risk score and the presence of each cardiometabolic risk factor. In subgroup analyses categorized according to FMR and ALT/AST ratio cutoffs, the high-FMR/high-ALT/AST group had the highest cardiometabolic risk (OR=8.51; 95% CI 4.46– 16.25 in women and OR=5.09; 95% CI 3.39– 7.65 in men) after adjusting for confounders.Conclusion: FMR and ALT/AST ratio were positively associated with cardiometabolic risk. Combining these two indicators improved the prediction of cardiometabolic risk.Keywords: body composition, liver enzymes, cardiometabolic disease
