Recently, Professor Xi Bo’s group published an original research article titled “Resolution of Metabolic Dysfunction Improves Liver Health among Chinese Children: Evidence from Two Prospective Cohorts” in the internationally renowned Journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology (Impact Factor: 12.0). Postdoctoral Fellow Yang Lili from School of Public Health of Shandong University and PhD Li Menglong from Capital Medical University are co-first authors. Professor Xi Bo from the School of Public Health of Shandong University and Professor Hu Yifei from Capital Medical University serve as the co-corresponding authors. Shandong University is the first and corresponding institution.

This study utilized data from two prospective cohort studies in China — the Huantai Childhood Cardiovascular Health Cohort and the Beijing Child Growth and Health Cohort — involving 2,158 children aged 6–11 years at baseline, with a four-year follow-up. It is the first study to examine the association between dynamic changes in metabolic dysfunction and the development of hepatic steatosis in the general pediatric population. The results demonstrated that metabolic dysfunction at baseline significantly increased the risk of developing hepatic steatosis at follow-up. Compared with children who remained metabolically healthy at both baseline and follow-up, those with persistent metabolic dysfunction or new-onset metabolic dysfunction during follow-up had markedly higher risks of developing hepatic steatosis. Notably, children whose metabolic dysfunction resolved to normal status at follow-up did not have an elevated risk. These findings highlight the importance of implementing both primary and secondary prevention strategies aimed at metabolic risk factors to protect liver health in children, carrying significant implications for clinical practice and public health.

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation.