Short‐term weight loss decreased the risk of chronic kidney disease in men with incident nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Abstract Objective The study aimed to examine the association of obesity and chronic kidney disease (CKD) after nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) occurrence. Methods The study enrolled 10,311 adult men with newly diagnosed NAFLD and without CKD in the Kailuan cohort (2006–2013). The Fine‐Gray model was used to compare advanced CKD risk in NAFLD with different baseline or trajectories in obesity measures. Results During a median follow‐up of 10 years, maintaining normal waist circumference or waist‐hip ratio, or transition from obesity to nonobesity determined by BMI, decreased 31% (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.69; 95% CI: 0.51–0.93), 34% (HR = 0.66; 95% CI: 0.45–0.95), and 38% (HR = 0.62; 95% CI: 0.40–0.96) of the CKD hazard compared with the “constantly without obesity” subgroup, respectively. NAFLD patients with at least 10% weight loss (HR = 0.58; 95% CI: 0.34–0.97) and with 7.0% to 9.9% weight loss (HR = 0.53; 95% CI: 0.28–0.99) had a lower risk for CKD than those with weight change ±4.9%. Compared with the stable weight population, the lower risk of ≥7% weight loss was observed only in patients with elevated blood pressure (adjusted HR = 0.48; 95% CI: 0.28–0.81). Conclusions Short‐term weight loss of at least 7% could decrease CKD risk, especially among patients with obesity and elevated blood pressure. It is important to monitor waist circumference, waist‐hip ratio, and weight for NAFLD management.