Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease or in short NAFLD, a chronic illness in which extra fat builds up in the liver, affects about 24% of individuals in the United States. NAFLD can lead to persistent liver impairment, which is linked to an increased risk of death. In the absence of a drug licensed to treat NAFLD, the gold standard of care is a healthy diet and regular exercise.

According to a new study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, women with long or irregular periods are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and heart disease, but they may also be at risk for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

“Our study results show that long or irregular menstrual cycles may be associated with an increased risk of developing NAFLD, and this link was not explained by obesity,” says Seungho Ryu. “Previous studies have shown that long or irregular menstrual cycles are associated with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, but our study is the first to find a link between long or irregular menstrual cycles and NAFLD.”

The researchers looked at data from 72,092 women under the age of 40. Around 28 percent of these women had long or irregular menstrual cycles, while 7 percent had NAFLD. Four years later, the researchers observed that nearly 9 percent of the women had developed new cases of NAFLD. The study concluded that young, premenopausal women who had long or irregular menstrual cycles had a higher chance of developing NAFLD.

“Young women with long or irregular menstrual cycles may benefit from lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of NAFLD as well as other cardiometabolic diseases,” Ryu adds.

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