ImportanceGiven the burden of chronic liver disease on the health care system, more information on the hepatoprotective association of statins in the general population is needed.ObjectiveTo examine whether regular statin use is associated with a reduction in liver disease, particularly hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver-related deaths, in the general population.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis cohort study used data from the UK Biobank (UKB) (individuals aged 37-73 years) collected from baseline (2006-2010) to the end of follow-up in May 2021, from the TriNetX cohort (individuals aged 18-90 years) enrolled from baseline (2011-2020) until end of follow-up in September 2022, and from the Penn Medicine Biobank (PMBB) (individuals aged 18-102 years) with ongoing enrollment starting in 2013 to the end of follow-up in December 2020. Individuals were matched using propensity score matching according to the following criteria: age, sex, body mass index, ethnicity, diabetes with or without insulin or biguanide use, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, dyslipidemia, aspirin use, and number of medications taken (UKB only). Data analysis was performed from April 2021 to April 2023.ExposureRegular statin use.Main Outcomes and MeasuresPrimary outcomes were liver disease and HCC development as well as liver-associated death.ResultsA total of 1 785 491 individuals were evaluated after matching (aged 55 to 61 years on average, up to 56% men, and up to 49% women). A total of 581 cases of liver-associated death, 472 cases of incident HCC, and 98 497 new liver diseases were registered during the follow-up period. Individuals were aged 55-61 years on average, with a slightly higher proportion of men (up to 56%). In UKB individuals (n = 205 057) without previously diagnosed liver disease, statin users (n = 56 109) had a 15% lower hazard ratio (HR) for the association of developing a new liver disease (HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.78-0.92; P < .001). In addition, statin users demonstrated a 28% lower HR for the association with liver-related death (HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.59-0.88; P = .001) and a 42% lower HR for the development of HCC (HR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.35-0.96; P = .04). In TriNetX individuals (n = 1 568 794), the HR for the association of HCC was reduced even further for statin users (HR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.22-0.31; P = .003). The hepatoprotective association of statins was time and dose dependent, with a significant association in PMBB individuals (n = 11 640) for incident liver diseases after 1 year of statin use (HR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.59-0.98; P = .03). Taking statins was particularly beneficial in men, individuals with diabetes, and individuals with a high Fibrosis-4 index at baseline. Carriers of the heterozygous minor allele of PNPLA3 rs738409 benefited from statin use and had a 69% lower HR for the association with HCC (UKB HR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.11-0.85; P = .02).Conclusions and RelevanceThis cohort study indicates substantial preventive associations of statins against liver disease, with an association with duration and dose of intake.

Background Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common functional digestive disorders. Our understanding about its comorbidities, biomarkers, or long‐term risks is still incomplete. Objective To characterize comorbidities and biomarkers for IBS and establish the effect of IBS on overall‐ and cause specific mortality. Methods We analyzed data from the population‐based cohort of the UK Biobank (UKB) with 493,974 participants, including self‐reported physician‐diagnosed (n = 20,603) and ICD‐10 diagnosed (n = 7656) IBS patients, with a mean follow‐up of 11 years. We performed a phenome‐wide association study (PheWAS) and competing risk analysis to characterize common clinical features in IBS patients. Results In PheWAS analyses, 260 PheCodes were significantly overrepresented in self‐reported physician‐diagnosed IBS patients, 633 in patients with ICD‐10 diagnosed IBS (ICD‐10‐IBS), with 221 (40%) overlapping. In addition to gastrointestinal diseases, psychiatric, musculoskeletal, and endocrine/metabolic disorders represented the most strongly associated PheCodes in IBS patients. Self‐reported physician‐diagnosed IBS was not associated with increased overall mortality and the risk of death from cancer was decreased (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.78 [95% CI = 0.7–0.9]). Lastly, we evaluated changes in serum metabolites in IBS patients and identified glycoprotein acetyls (GlycA) as a potential biomarker in IBS. One standard deviation increase in GlycA raised the risk of self‐reported IBS/ICD‐10 coded by 9%–20% (odds ratio [OR] = 1.09 [95% CI = 1.1–1.1]/OR = 1.20 [95% CI = 1.1–1.3]) and the risk of overall mortality in ICD‐10‐IBS patients by 28% (HR = 1.28 [95% CI = 1.1–1.5]). Conclusion Our large‐scale association study determined IBS patients having an increased risk of several different comorbidities and that GlycA was increased in IBS patients.

BackgroundNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcoholic liver disease are among the most common liver diseases worldwide, and there are currently no Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatments. Recent studies have focused on lifestyle changes to prevent and treat NAFLD. Omega-3 supplementation is associated with improved outcomes in patients with chronic liver disease. However, it is unclear whether Omega-3 supplementation can prevent the development of liver disease, particularly in individuals at an increased (genetic) risk.MethodsIn this UK Biobank cohort study, we established a multivariate cox proportional hazards model for the risk of incident liver disease during an 11 year follow up time. We adjusted the model for diabetes, prevalent cardiovascular disorders, socioeconomic status, diet, alcohol consumption, physical activity, medication intake (insulin, biguanides, statins and aspirin), and baseline characteristics.ResultsOmega-3 supplementation reduced the risk of incident liver disease (HR = 0.716; 95% CI: 0.639, 0.802; p = 7.6 × 10−9). This protective association was particularly evident for alcoholic liver disease (HR = 0.559; 95% CI: 0.347, 0.833; p = 4.3 × 10−3), liver failure (HR = 0.548; 95% CI: 0.343, 0.875; p = 1.2 × 10−2), and non-alcoholic liver disease (HR = 0.784; 95% CI: 0.650, 0.944; p = 1.0 × 10−2). Interestingly, we were able to replicate the association with reduced risk of NAFLD in a subset with liver MRIs (HR = 0.846; 95% CI: 0.777, 0.921; p = 1.1 × 10−4). In particular, women benefited from Omega-3 supplementation as well as heterozygous allele carriers of the liver-damaging variant PNPLA3 rs738409.ConclusionsOmega-3 supplementation may reduce the incidence of liver disease. Our study highlights the potential of personalized treatment strategies for individuals at risk of metabolic liver disease. Further evaluation in clinical trials is warranted before Omega-3 can be recommended for the prevention of liver disease.

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LINKED CONTENT This article is linked to Schneider et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17566 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17611