The value of combining the simple anthropometric obesity parameters, Body Mass Index (BMI) and a Body Shape Index (ABSI), to assess the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

BACKGROUND: Body mass index (BMI) and A Body Shape Index (ABSI) are current independent risk factors for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of this study was to explore the value of combining these two most common obesity indexes in identifying NAFLD. METHODS: The subjects in this study were 14,251 individuals from the NAfld in the Gifu Area, Longitudinal Analysis (NAGALA) cohort who underwent routine health examination. We integrated BMI with WC and with ABSI to construct 6 combined obesity indicators—obesity phenotypes, the combined anthropometric risk index (ARI) for BMI and ABSI, optimal proportional combination O(BMI+WC) and O(BMI+ABSI), and multiplicative combination BMI*WC and BMI*ABSI. Several multivariable logistic regression models were established to evaluate the relationship between BMI, WC, ABSI, and the above six combined indicators and NAFLD; receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn to compare the ability of each obesity indicator to identify NAFLD. RESULTS: A total of 2,507 (17.59%) subjects were diagnosed with NAFLD. BMI, WC, ABSI, and all other combined obesity indicators were significantly and positively associated with NAFLD in the current study, with BMI*WC having the strongest correlation with NAFLD in female subjects (OR per SD increase: 3.13) and BMI*ABSI having the strongest correlation in male subjects (OR per SD increase: 2.97). ROC analysis showed that ARI and O(BMI+ABSI) had the best diagnostic performance in both sexes, followed by BMI*WC (area under the curve: female 0.8912; male 0.8270). After further age stratification, it was found that ARI and multiplicative indicators (BMI*WC, BMI*ABSI) and optimal proportional combination indicators (O(BMI+WC), O(BMI+ABSI)) significantly improved the NAFLD risk identification ability of the basic anthropometric parameters in middle-aged females and young and middle-aged males. CONCLUSION: In the general population, BMI combined with ABSI best identified obesity-related NAFLD risk and was significantly better than BMI or WC, or ABSI. We find that ARI and the multiplicative combined indicators BMI*WC and BMI*ABSI further improved risk prediction and may be proposed for possible use in clinical practice. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12944-022-01717-8.