First-degree family history of diabetes is associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease independent of glucose metabolic status

The first-degree relatives of patients with diabetes (FDRs) share a common genetic background with patients with diabetes. Insulin resistance is recognized as a common contributor to diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The present study aimed to investigate the association between a first-degree family history of diabetes (FHD) and NAFLD and the influence of glucose metabolic status. The present work analyzed a part of the baseline data of the REACTION study conducted in a community population. A total of 11,162 participants with an average age of 55.57 ± 9.66 years were enrolled, including 9870 non-FDRs and 1292 FDRs. First-degree FHD was defined as at least one patient with diabetes among parents, siblings or children. The fatty liver index (FLI) was calculated to identify NAFLD. The proportions of subjects without NAFLD, with intermediate FLI, and with NAFLD differed significantly between non-FDRs and FDRs (P