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. 2015;88(4):489-93.
doi: 10.15386/cjmed-595. Epub 2015 Nov 15.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease severity, central fat mass and adinopectin: a close relationship

Ludovico Abenavoli  1 , Laura DI Renzo  2 , Pietro Hiram Guzzi  3 , Rinaldo Pellicano  4 , Natasa Milic  5 , Antonino DE Lorenzo  2
Affiliations

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease severity, central fat mass and adinopectin: a close relationship

Ludovico Abenavoli et al. Clujul Med. 2015.

Abstract

Aim: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in the general population. Overweight is a common condition in patients with NAFLD, and body composition (BC) assessment is useful to evaluate nutritional status and the efficacy of nutritional strategies. A valid tool for assessing BC is dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Adiponectin has been shown to be relevant to the pathogenesis of NAFLD. The aim of this observational study is to define the relationship between the severity of NAFLD, the central fat mass evaluated by DXA, and the circulating levels of adiponectin.

Methods: The study was carried out in 31 overweight patients. The degree of liver steatosis was evaluated by ultrasound (US) examination. Anthropometric parameters were measured according to standard methods. Fasting glucose and insulin level were used also to calculate insulin resistance (IR), according to the homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique was performed to dose fasting serum levels of adiponectin.

Results: NAFLD progression was significantly associated with increased central fat (p<0.05). Using DXA, we quantified the regional distribution of adipose tissue and found the expected association between central fat and the US severity of NAFLD. Serum levels of adiponectin, were inversely related to NAFLD progression (p<0.05).

Conclusion: BC evaluated by anthropometry and DXA, may be used as indicator of NAFLD severity in overweight patients. The evaluation of BC in clinical practice, can improve the nutritional strategies and follow-up. In the clinical setting adiponectin may represent a potential marker for the staging of NAFLD.

Keywords: adiponectin; body composition; central obesity; insulin resistance; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of abdominal fat (box A), abdominal tissue mass (box B) and abdominal fat mass (box C) in different US stages of NAFLD.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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