Cardiometabolic Impact on Liver and Pancreatic Fat Depots

TOPLINE:

A link between hepatic fat and intrapancreatic fat deposition (IPFD) in young and middle-aged adults without obesity and with low lipids and blood sugar seems to disappear in older adults with obesity and high lipids or blood sugar, suggesting interventions to reduce both fat depots may be more effective in midlife before cardiometabolic impairment.

METHODOLOGY:

• Increased hepatic fat may result in excess lipids in the pancreas, which in turn can promote type 2 diabetes and an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, but evidence is mixed on the link between the two ectopic fat depots.
• To learn if specific cardiometabolic factors influence the association between hepatic fat and IPFD, researchers conducted a cross-sectional study involving 367 participants in Auckland, New Zealand (median age, 50 years; 56.7% women; 48.5% Asian, 33% White, 18.3% other; 34.6% had obesity).
• The participants underwent 3T abdominal MRI and spectroscopy to quantify hepatic fat and IPFD.
• Cardiometabolic risk factors such as age, A1c, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides were evaluated as potential moderators.
• Moderation analyses, a statistical technique used in precision medicine, were performed with adjustments for sex and ethnicity to determine the conditions under which hepatic fat is associated with IPFD.

TAKEAWAY:

• The association between hepatic fat and IPFD was only significant under these conditions: Age 36 mg/dL.
• In subgroup analysis, no significant moderators of the association were found in individuals with obesity.
• In those without obesity, the association between hepatic fat and IPFD was significantly influenced by age, A1c, glucagon-like peptide-1, LDL-C, HDL-C, and triglycerides in adjusted analyses (P

IN PRACTICE:

“Findings from our study highlight the importance of the effective management of hyperglycemia, as well as attempts at diabetes reversal, to prevent the development of greater metabolic dysregulation,” the authors write. “After age 60 years, increased IPFD may become more challenging to treat…which highlights a potential window of opportunity in midlife for the effective treatment of increased ectopic fat in the liver and pancreas simultaneously.”

SOURCE:

The study, led by Loren Skudder-Hill, School of Medicine, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand, was published online in Obesity.

LIMITATIONS:

The cross-sectional design of the study limited the ability to draw causal conclusions about the association between hepatic fat and IPFD. Genetic factors may also play a role in moderating this association, but these were not assessed in this study.

DISCLOSURES:

The study was funded by the Royal Society of New Zealand and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.