Excess liver fat key risk factor for metabolic problems

New research suggests that excess liver fat is a key risk factor for insulin resistance, cholesterol abnormalities, and other metabolic problems that play a key role in the development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Professor Samuel Klein, M.D, and colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis conducted a study of obese adolescents. The participants were divided into two groups: obese with excessive liver fat and obese with no evidence of fatty liver disease. Results showed that those with excessive liver fat had abnormalities in glucose and fat metabolism, and lower levels of HDL cholesterol. Those without excessive liver fat did not have any of the above hallmarks of metabolic problems – even those who had excess abdominal fat.

The authors say that their findings suggest that whether a person is apple-shaped or pear-shaped is irrelevant in terms of metabolic risk. "Abdominal fat is not the best marker for risk. It appears liver fat is the real marker. Abdominal fat probably has been cited in the past because it tends to track so closely with liver fat. But if you look at people where the two don't correspond — with excess fat in the liver but not in the abdomen and vice versa — the only thing that consistently predicts metabolic derangements is fat in the liver."

News release: Apple Or Pear Shape Is Not Main Culprit to Heart Woes — It's Liver Fat. Washington University in St. Louis. December 4th 2008.

Deivanayagam S, Mohammed BS, Vitola BE, Naguib GH, Keshen TH, Kirk EP, Klein S. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with hepatic and skeletal muscle insulin resistance in overweight adolescents. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2008;88:257-262.