Adding salt to foods and risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and other chronic liver diseases.

purposeAdding salt to foods, a novel indicator for studying habitual sodium intake, has been positively associated with multiple diseases and mortality. However, little is known about its association with liver-related disorders. This study aimed to investigate the associations of adding salt to foods with risks of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

methodsThis prospective cohort study included 492,265 participants from the UK Biobank without prevalent liver diseases at baseline. The frequency of adding salt to foods was collected using a self-reported question, and incident liver-related disorders were identified through electronic health records. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the outcomes.

resultsOver a median follow-up of 13 years, 7,005 incident MASLD cases, 5,546 cirrhosis cases, and 413 HCC cases occurred. After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, personal history of diseases, and diet factors, the HRs (95% CIs) of MASLD across the increasing frequency of adding salt to foods were 1.00 (reference) for never/rarely, 1.08 (1.02, 1.14) for sometimes, 1.22 (1.13, 1.31) for usually, and 1.40 (1.27, 1.53) for always, with a P for trend < 0.0001. Such association was partly driven by adiposity. Also, similar positive associations were observed for cirrhosis and HCC.

conclusionsA higher frequency of adding salt to foods was associated with increased risks of MASLD, cirrhosis, and HCC. Reducing adding salt to foods at the table could be included in public health initiatives to promote liver health.