Visceral Adipose Tissue and Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

• Published in: Digestive diseases and sciences Vol. 67; no. 4; pp. 1389 - 1398
• Main Authors: Nobarani, Sohrab, Alaei-Shahmiri, Fariba, Aghili, Rokhsareh, Malek, Mojtaba, Poustchi, Hossein, Lahouti, Maryam, Khamseh, Mohammad E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-04-2022; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adipose tissues; Biochemistry; Body fat; Body mass index; Care and treatment; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - complications; Elasticity Imaging Techniques - methods; Fatty liver; Gastroenterology; Hepatology; Humans; Intra-Abdominal Fat - diagnostic imaging; Liver - diagnostic imaging; Liver diseases; Medical research; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Medicine, Experimental; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease - complications; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease - diagnostic imaging; Oncology; Original Article; Transplant Surgery; Type 2 diabetes; NAFLD; Diabetes mellitus; VAT; Type 2; Visceral adipose tissue; Liver stiffness; Hepatic steatosis; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
• ISSN: 0163-2116; 1573-2568
• DOI: 10.1007/s10620-021-06953-z

Aim
To explore the association of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) area and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
Methods
This was a cross-sectional study comprising 100 patients with T2DM and 100 non-T2DM individuals, matched for age, sex, and body mass index (BMI). Transient elastography was used to assess hepatic steatosis and liver stiffness measurements (LSM). Controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) was used to quantify hepatic steatosis. To distinguish grades of hepatic steatosis, cutoff values were as follows:
S
1 ≥ 302,
S
2 ≥ 331, and
S
3 ≥ 337 dB/m. Moreover, VAT area was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in accordance with validated protocols.
Results
CAP score was significantly higher in participants with T2DM (294.61 ± 3.82 vs. 269.86 ± 3.86 dB/ m;
P
 < 0.001). Furthermore, 42% of participants with T2DM had hepatic steatosis (
S
 > 
S
1: 302 dB/m), while this figure was 26% in non-T2DM group (
P
 < 0.003). The mean liver stiffness measuremen
t
was also significantly higher in patients with T2DM (5.53 vs. 4.79 kPa;
P
 < 0.001). VAT area was greater in patients with T2DM compared to non-T2DM individuals: 163.79 ± 47.98 cm
2
versus 147.49 ± 39.09 cm
2
,
P
 = 0.009. However, total and truncal fat mass were not different between the two groups. Age, BMI, waist circumference, ALT, CAP, and LSM were significantly associated with VAT area. BMI and VAT area were the important determinants of steatosis in both groups of participants with and without T2DM. Moreover, the VAT area was associated with the severity of hepatic steatosis and liver stiffness, independent of anthropometric measures of obesity.
Conclusion
VAT area is a major determinant of the severity of hepatic steatosis and liver stiffness in patient with T2DM.