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. 2024 Dec;32(12):2310-2320.
doi: 10.1002/oby.24154. Epub 2024 Nov 10.

The moderating effect of cardiometabolic factors on the association between hepatic and intrapancreatic fat

Loren Skudder-Hill  1 , Ivana R Sequeira-Bisson  2   3 , Juyeon Ko  1 , Sally D Poppitt  1   2   3 , Maxim S Petrov  1
Affiliations

The moderating effect of cardiometabolic factors on the association between hepatic and intrapancreatic fat

Loren Skudder-Hill et al. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2024 Dec.

Abstract

Objective: Previous studies have investigated the association between hepatic fat and intrapancreatic fat deposition (IPFD); however, results have been inconclusive. The presence of cardiometabolic factors in certain subpopulations could explain this discrepancy. The aim of the present study was to use moderation analyses to determine the conditions under which hepatic fat is associated with IPFD.

Methods: All participants underwent 3T abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy. Hepatic fat and IPFD were manually quantified by independent raters. Moderation analyses were performed with adjustment for sex and ethnicity.

Results: There were 367 participants included. Adjusted analyses of the overall cohort revealed that age, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides were significant moderators (p < 0.05) of the association between hepatic fat and IPFD. Ranges of significance included age < 61 years, HbA1c < 45 mmol/mol, LDL-C < 157 mg/dL, HDL-C > 36 mg/dL, and triglycerides < 203 mg/dL.

Conclusions: The association between hepatic fat and IPFD is generally present in young and middle-aged adults with good cardiometabolic health, whereas the link between the two fat depots becomes uncoupled in older adults or individuals with cardiometabolic risk factors.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Statistically significant moderating effect of cardiometabolic factors on the association between hepatic fat and IPFD. Effects for mean values of the moderators are represented by squares, 1 SD below the mean by circles, and 1 SD above the mean by triangles. Data are from adjusted analyses in the overall cohort. HbA1c, glycated hemoglobin; HDL‐C, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol; IPFD, intrapancreatic fat deposition; LDL‐C, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Distribution of hepatic fat and IPFD according to moderators. The horizontal lines represent the cutoff values for the moderator variables (derived from Johnson‐Neyman values from covariate‐adjusted analyses of the overall cohort), whereas the shaded regions represent those values outside of the range of significance. HbA1c, glycated hemoglobin; HDL‐C, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol; IPFD, intrapancreatic fat deposition; LDL‐C, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Association of hepatic fat and IPFD grouped by moderator variable cutoffs. Graphs on the left and right represent data from individuals who were under and over, respectively, the Johnson‐Neyman values for each moderator variable that reached statistical significance on adjusted analysis of the overall cohort. HbA1c, glycated hemoglobin; HDL‐C, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol; IPFD, intrapancreatic fat deposition; LDL‐C, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol.
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