MASLD and sarcopenia research (2012-2025): a multi-database bibliometric analysis

Front Nutr. 2026 Jun 12;13:1834112. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2026.1834112. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: MASLD and sarcopenia share common pathophysiological mechanisms, including insulin resistance and chronic inflammation, and their coexistence has been associated with increased risks of hepatic fibrosis, cardiovascular events, and all-cause mortality. Mapping research trends and nutrition-related implications along the liver-muscle axis may help inform precision nutrition strategies.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: English-language original articles and reviews published from January 2012 to December 2025 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus databases. A total of 701 unique publications were included. Bibliometric analyses, including descriptive statistics, collaboration network analysis, co-citation analysis, and keyword burst detection, were performed using the R package bibliometrix, CiteSpace, and VOSviewer. BERTopic modeling was applied to identify latent semantic themes and their temporal evolution. Relevant prospective cohort studies from PubMed were also reviewed to provide contextual evidence on longitudinal associations between muscle-related parameters and MASLD outcomes.

RESULTS: The field grew at an average annual rate of 36.6%, with China, South Korea, and the United States forming the core collaborative network; South Korean authors showed particularly high productivity and influence. The research focus shifted from molecular mechanisms to clinical phenotyping, risk prediction, and intervention-related topics. BERTopic modeling identified three emerging themes: sarcopenia-fibrosis risk, lipid metabolism with lifestyle interventions, and cardiometabolic comorbidity management. The prospective cohort studies suggested that low muscle mass and impaired muscle function were associated with a higher risk of MASLD onset or progression (HR 1.18-7.96), consistent with previously proposed mechanisms, including lipotoxicity, systemic inflammation, and gut-liver-muscle axis dysregulation.

CONCLUSION: Research on MASLD and sarcopenia has progressively shifted from descriptive and mechanistic studies toward early fibrosis risk prediction, lifestyle-based interventions, and integrated metabolic management. Standardized muscle assessment and further investigation of the liver-muscle axis are needed to support precision nutrition strategies.

PMID:42370344 | PMC:PMC13305728 | DOI:10.3389/fnut.2026.1834112