Insulin Resistance/Sensitivity Measures as Screening Indicators of Metabolic-Associated Fatty Liver Disease and Liver Fibrosis

Measures of insulin resistance (IR)/sensitivity (IS) are emerging tools to identify metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). However, the comprehensive assessment of the performance of various indicators is limited. Moreover, the utility of measures of IR/IS in detecting liver fibrosis remains unclear.

To evaluate the predictive ability of seventeen IR/IS and two beta cell function indices to identify MAFLD and liver fibrosis.

A cross-sectional study was conducted on individuals aged 25–75 years. Transient elastography was used to estimate liver stiffness and controlled attenuation parameter. The following measures were computed: homeostatic model assessment (HOMA/HOMA2) for IR, IS, and beta cell function; QUICKI; Bennett index; glucose/insulin; FIRI; McAuley index; Reynaud index; SPISE index; TyG; TyG-BMI; TyG-WC; TyG-WHtR; TG/HDL; and METS-IR. Subgroup analyses were performed according to age, gender, diabetes status, and body weight.

A total of 644 individuals were included in our analysis. MAFLD and significant liver fibrosis were detected in 320 (49.7%) and 80 (12.4%) of the participants, respectively. All measures of IR/IS identified MAFLD and liver fibrosis. However, TyG-WC, TyG-BMI, and TyG-WHtR were the top three indicators that identified MAFLD. Measures that include insulin level in their mathematical calculation, namely, Raynaud index, HOMA-IR, HOMA 2-IR, FIRI, and QUICKI had the best performance in identifying liver fibrosis in the entire population, as well as among the study subgroups.

TyG-WC, TyG-BMI, and TyG-WHtR were the best predictors of MAFLD. Insulin-based measures had better performances in the detection of advanced fibrosis. This was independent of age, gender, obesity, or diabetes status.