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Although there is no specific treatment for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), weight loss, avoiding alcohol, and control of underlying comorbid conditions such as diabetes are recommended. Should clinicians also be recommending smoking cessation?
To determine if cigarette smoking is associated with NAFLD incidence and progression, researchers in Korea longitudinally assessed self-reported tobacco use, measured urinary cotinine levels, and performed abdominal ultrasound in nearly 200,000 adults without NAFLD at baseline. Patients received comprehensive health exams annually or biennially for a median of 4.1 years, providing about 1 million person-years of follow-up. The severity of NAFLD was assessed using the NAFLD fibrosis score (NF…