High body mass index (BMI) has been linked to liver disease later in life, in young men, but this association in women is unclear.

A study investigated the association between BMI early in life and the development of liver disease later in life in women.

Data on early pregnancy BMI from 1 139458 Swedish women were collected. National registers were utilised to authenticate incident severe liver disease, described as cirrhosis, decompensated liver disease (hepatocellular carcinoma, oesophageal varices, hepatorenal syndrome or hepatic encephalopathy) or liver failure. associations of BMI with incident severe liver disease adjusting for maternal age, calendar year, country of birth, smoking, civil status and education were investigated using the Cox regression model.

The following results were obtained-

• 774 women acquired the severe liver disease during an average follow-up of 13.8 years. 
• Women with BMI between 22.5 and 24.9 kg/m², 25.0 and 29.9 kg/m2 and BMI ≥ 30 kg/m² had an increased risk of severe liver disease than the women with a low normal BMI (18.5-22.4). 
• On investigating BMI as a continuous variable, the adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] raised by 4% per kg/m². 
• A diagnosis of diabetes had an increased risk of severe liver disease independent of baseline BMI.

Thus an increased BMI early in life in women is associated with a dose-dependent, increased risk for future severe liver disease.

Source- Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 2019;49(6):789-796. https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15162