Table 1 Baseline characteristics of participants with or without MAFLD assessed by VCTE in the NHANES cohort and the Western China cohort

Demographic parameters

 Age (years)

45.70 ± 18.99

52.12 ± 16.49

< 0.001

43.64 ± 12.22

45.23 ± 11.89

< 0.001

 Sex (%)

< 0.001

< 0.001

  Female

1996 (54.70%)

1750 (46.68%)

1639 (49.25%)

303 (19.52%)

  Male

1653 (45.30%)

1999 (53.32%)

1689 (50.75%)

1249 (80.48%)

 Race (%)

< 0.001

-

  Non-Hispanic Black

1028 (28.17%)

828 (22.09%)

-

-

  Non-Hispanic White

1235 (33.84%)

1359 (36.25%)

-

-

  Other Hispanic

362 (9.92%)

409 (10.91%)

-

-

  Non-Hispanic Asian

513 (14.06%)

378 (10.08%)

-

-

  Mexican American

331 (9.07%)

596 (15.90%)

-

-

  Other races

180 (4.93%)

179 (4.77%)

-

-

Anthropometric parameters

 WC (cm)

90.51 ± 13.43

109.80 ± 15.01

< 0.001

60.33 ± 9.85

75.30 ± 10.65

< 0.001

 WtHR

0.55 ± 0.08

0.66 ± 0.09

< 0.001

0.47 ± 0.05

0.54 ± 0.04

< 0.001

 BMI (kg/m²)

26.06 ± 5.44

33.35 ± 7.02

< 0.001

22.17 ± 2.55

26.60 ± 2.51

< 0.001

VCTE parameters

 CAP (dB/m)

213.26 ± 35.47

314.24 ± 39.31

< 0.001

221.48 ± 25.34

287.23 ± 23.95

< 0.001

 LSM (kPa)

5.15 ± 4.10

6.76 ± 5.84

< 0.001

4.93 ± 1.01

5.62 ± 1.11

< 0.001

Serum test

 ALT (U/L)

18.83 ± 19.02

25.73 ± 18.38

< 0.001

21.04 ± 15.46

35.72 ± 23.75

< 0.001

 AST (U/L)

21.19 ± 15.43

22.56 ± 13.28

< 0.001

21.58 ± 11.37

25.94 ± 12.13

< 0.001

 ALP (U/L)

74.46 ± 26.03

81.16 ± 25.37

< 0.001

72.56 ± 21.16

81.03 ± 22.04

< 0.001

 GGT (U/L)

26.22 ± 55.77

36.89 ± 46.53

< 0.001

26.56 ± 33.27

48.19 ± 50.57

< 0.001

 CRE (umol/L)

78.62 ± 39.12

79.77 ± 41.76

0.223

74.10 ± 15.93

81.50 ± 26.99

< 0.001

 eGFR (ml/min/m²)

98.05 ± 23.95

93.09 ± 23.18

< 0.001

98.82 ± 14.96

95.56 ± 14.50

< 0.001

 UA (umol/L)

298.94 ± 79.40

342.24 ± 87.21

< 0.001

321.70 ± 81.35

387.55 ± 88.18

< 0.001

 FPG (umol/L)

5.17 ± 1.27

6.07 ± 2.36

< 0.001

4.93 ± 0.96

5.46 ± 1.52

< 0.001

 TG (umol/L)

1.21 ± 0.78

1.86 ± 1.29

< 0.001

1.31 ± 1.25

2.20 ± 1.58

< 0.001

 TC (umol/L)

4.70 ± 1.02

4.87 ± 1.06

< 0.001

4.79 ± 0.90

4.96 ± 0.94

< 0.001

 HDL (umol/L)

1.50 ± 0.41

1.26 ± 0.36

< 0.001

1.49 ± 0.38

1.18 ± 0.27

< 0.001

Noninvasive indices and models

 TyG

8.37 ± 0.54

8.90 ± 0.64

< 0.001

8.36 ± 0.59

8.98 ± 0.62

< 0.001

 TyG-BMI

218.59 ± 50.10

296.81 ± 65.24

< 0.001

186.00 ± 29.41

239.05 ± 29.79

< 0.001

 TyG-WC

759.51 ± 135.51

977.98 ± 153.37

< 0.001

652.72 ± 102.74

815.28 ± 98.47

< 0.001

 TyG-WtHR

4.58 ± 0.84

5.85 ± 0.91

< 0.001

3.96 ± 0.58

4.86 ± 0.56

< 0.001

 METS-IR

36.99 ± 9.39

51.46 ± 12.33

< 0.001

31.40 ± 5.79

41.69 ± 6.19

< 0.001

 HSI

34.30 ± 6.45

43.78 ± 8.06

< 0.001

30.70 ± 4.13

37.71 ± 4.80

< 0.001

 VAI

1.52 ± 1.60

2.81 ± 2.58

< 0.001

1.53 ± 2.79

2.92 ± 2.89

< 0.001

 LAP

37.39 ± 33.12

88.53 ± 65.59

< 0.001

23.41 ± 29.28

60.81 ± 50.99

< 0.001

 FLI

34.73 ± 28.07

75.70 ± 22.75

< 0.001

18.15 ± 19.20

53.45 ± 24.11

< 0.001

 ZJU

36.15 ± 6.24

45.55 ± 7.91

< 0.001

32.21 ± 3.60

38.61 ± 4.03

< 0.001

 FSI

-2.00 ± 1.38

0.23 ± 1.67

< 0.001

-2.71 ± 1.24

-0.86 ± 1.42

< 0.001

K-NAFLD

-2.24 ± 2.80

1.14 ± 3.08

< 0.001

-3.31 ± 2.33

0.01 ± 3.24

< 0.001

Metabolic diseases

 Hypertension

< 0.001

< 0.001

  No

2701 (74.02%)

2015 (53.75%)

3036 (91.23%)

1226 (78.99%)

  Yes

948 (25.98%)

1734 (46.25%)

292 (8.77%)

326 (21.01%)

 Diabetes

< 0.001

< 0.001

  No

3324 (91.09%)

2639 (70.39%)

3251 (97.69%)

1429 (92.07%)

  Yes

325 (8.91%)

1110 (29.61%)

77 (2.31%)

123 (7.93%)