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Study claims couch potatoes and long nappers at risk of developing this disease

A modest improvement in sleep quality was found to cut people’s risk of the condition by almost a third (29 percent).

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By Gwyn Wright via SWNS

Couch potatoes and people who take long daytime naps are at a higher risk of developing fatty liver disease, warns new research.

Scientists say people who struggle to get shut-eye at night but sleep during the day are at the highest risk of the chronic condition which can lead to severe liver damage, including cirrhosis.

A late bedtime, napping for more than 30 minutes during the day, and even snoring were linked to a higher risk of the disease.

A modest improvement in sleep quality was found to cut people’s risk of the condition by almost a third (29 percent).

Obese people and couch potatoes suffered from worse side effects from poor sleep quality.

For the study, researchers in China looked at self-reported sleep behaviors of more than 5,000 Chinese adults with fatty liver disease.

Study author Dr. Yan Liu from Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China, said: “Our study found a moderate improvement in sleep quality was related to a 29 percent reduction in the risk for fatty liver disease.

“Our study provides evidence that even a moderate improvement in sleep quality is sufficient to reduce the risk for fatty liver disease, especially in those with unhealthy lifestyles.

“Given that large proportions of subjects suffering from poor sleep quality are underdiagnosed and undertreated, our study calls for more research into this field and strategies to improve sleep quality.”

Fatty liver disease is the leading chronic liver disease worldwide and the non-alcohol-related fatty liver disease affects around a third of British adults, according to the British Liver Trust.

The condition is fuelled by obesity and type two diabetes.

It can cause liver failure and even death if it progresses to end-stage liver disease.

The findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

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