Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can increase the risk of heart failure over the next decade as a result of increasing levels of overweight and obesity.
Highlights:
Fatty liver disease can wreak havoc on your heart health, suggests a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal Gut.
The build-up of fat in the liver, known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD for short, is linked to a heightened risk of heart failure over the next decade, finds a pooled data analysis of the available research.- Fatty liver disease can affect your heart health
- Fat build-up in the liver (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or NAFLD) can put you at a higher of developing heart failure over the next decade
- People diagnosed with NAFLD need careful medical monitoring to avoid heart failure
Obesity Crisis Linked to Rise in Fatty Liver Disease Amongst Young Adults
Obesity crisis is creating a liver disease 'time bomb,' as the study reveals one in five young adults showing the excessive build-up of fat around their organs, which can lead to serious damage.
Obesity crisis is creating a liver disease 'time bomb,' as the study reveals one in five young adults showing the excessive build-up of fat around their organs, which can lead to serious damage.
‘Watch out: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can increase the risk of heart failure over the next decade as a result of increasing levels of overweight and obesity.’
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Is Fatty Liver Disease a Serious Condition?
NAFLD has become one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease worldwide, affecting up to around 30% of adults. Its global prevalence is expected to rise sharply over the next decade as a result of increasing levels of overweight and obesity.Recently published studies have implicated NAFLD in the development of heart failure—when the heart is unable to pump sufficient quantities of blood around the body. But, the size of this risk, and whether this differs according to liver disease severity, isn’t clear.
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Renaming NAFLD Brings Hope for Patients with Fatty Liver Disease
Redefining non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) into Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD) will better reflect its causes and improve public health initiatives, reports a new study.
Redefining non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) into Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD) will better reflect its causes and improve public health initiatives, reports a new study.
Can NAFLD Cause Heart Problems?
To try and find out, the researchers pooled the results of 11 long term international observational studies published up to March 2022. The studies looked at the potential links between NAFLD and heart failure among more than 11 million middle-aged adults.Four studies were carried out in Sweden, Finland and the UK; four were carried out in the USA; and three were carried out in South Korea.
Half the study participants were women, with an average age of 55 and an average BMI (body mass index) of 26: a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 indicates a healthy weight; 25 and 29.9 indicates overweight; and a BMI of 30 and above indicates obesity.
Around 1 in 4 (2.9 million; 26%) of the study participants already had NAFLD. Heart failure was diagnosed in 97,716 during an average monitoring period of 10 years.
Pooled data analysis of the results of all 11 studies showed that the presence of NAFLD was associated with a 50% heightened risk of developing heart failure during the monitoring period. This was irrespective of age, sex, body fat, diabetes, high blood pressure, ethnicity and other common cardiovascular risk factors.
To overcome the inherent issues associated with different study designs and methods, the researchers pooled the data from selected studies by study country, length of monitoring period, method of heart failure diagnosis, and method of NAFLD diagnosis: the results were still the same.
The risk also seemed to increase in parallel with the severity of NAFLD, especially with more extensive liver fibrosis (scarring), when the risk was 76% higher, although this finding was based on the findings of only 2 studies.
It’s not clear exactly how NAFLD might increase the risk of cardiac complications involved in the development of heart failure, say researchers. But,NAFLD worsens systemic insulin resistance, promotes plaque formation, and releases a cocktail of inflammatory and blood-thickening chemicals, they explain.
And newer diabetes drugs, which lower blood glucose, seem to have some favorable effects on the risks of hospital admission for heart failure, they add.
The researchers acknowledge various limitations to the pooled data analysis, chief among which was the observational nature of the included studies, which precludes establishing causality.
But, their findings echo those of previously published research, and they suggest that anyone with NAFLD warrants careful medical monitoring because of the link between this condition and heart failure.
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Fatty Liver Can Damage Heart, Say Scientists
Fatty Liver increase the risk of heart disease by four times compared to people of the same age and sex who had normal livers.
Fatty Liver increase the risk of heart disease by four times compared to people of the same age and sex who had normal livers.
Reference:
1. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and risk of new-onset heart failure: an updated meta-analysis of about 11 million individuals - (http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/gutjnl-2022-327672)Source-Eurekalert
New Test Helps Identify Liver Diseases
A new liquid biopsy test developed by researchers which uses two circulating proteins, tests for major liver diseases.
A new liquid biopsy test developed by researchers which uses two circulating proteins, tests for major liver diseases.
