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NAFLD a Better Marker for Metabolic Risk Than Visceral Fat ST. LOUIS, Miss -- August 24, 2009 -- A study published online in the journal PNAS Early Edition, suggest that nonalcoholic fatty liver disease fat is a better biomarker for metabolic risk factors than visceral fat. “Data from a large number of studies shows that visceral fat is associated with metabolic risk, which has led to the belief that visceral fat might even cause metabolic dysfunction,” says senior investigator Samuel Klein, MD, Division of Geriatrics and Nutritional Science and the Center for Applied Research Studies, Washington University’s Center for Human Nutrition, St. Louis, Missouri. “However, visceral fat tracks closely with liver fat. We have found that excess fat in the liver, not visceral fat, is a key marker of metabolic dysfunction. Visceral fat might simply be an innocent bystander that is associated with liver fat.” The study compared obese people with elevated and normal amounts of liver fat. All subjects were matched by age, sex, body mass index, percent body fat, and degree of obesity. Through careful evaluations of obese people with different amounts of visceral fat or liver fat, the researchers determined that excess fat inside the liver identified those individuals who are at risk for metabolic problems. “We don’t know exactly why some fats, particularly triglycerides, will accumulate inside the liver and muscle in some people but not in others,” says first author Elisa Fabbrini, MD, Washington University. “But our data suggest that a protein called CD36, which controls the transport of fatty acids from the bloodstream into different tissues, is involved.” Klein says those who are obese but don’t have high levels of fat in the liver should be encouraged to lose weight, but those with elevated liver fat are at particularly high risk for heart disease and diabetes. He says they need to be treated aggressively to help them lose weight because dropping pounds can make a big difference. “Fatty liver disease is completely reversible,” he says. “If you lose a small amount of weight, you can markedly reduce the fat content in your liver. In fact, even two days of calorie restriction can cause a large reduction in liver fat and improvement in liver insulin sensitivity.” SOURCE: Washington University E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version