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NAFLD risk increased by metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women
Postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome, central adiposity and insulin resistance are at higher risk for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, whereas higher adiponectin levels appear to confer a protective effect, according to recent findings.
In the cross-sectional study, researchers evaluated 180 postmenopausal women, aged 45 to 70 years, who were seen at an outpatient facility in Brazil between January 2011 and August 2012.
Blood pressure measurements were taken, and the researchers took various anthropometric measurements, blood tests, and insulin resistance calculation by homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR).
A participant was determined to have metabolic syndrome if at least three of the following characteristics were present: waist circumference >88 cm, triglycerides ≥150 mg/dL, HDL <50 mg/dL, blood pressure ≥130/85 mmHg and glucose ≥100 mg/dL. Abdominal ultrasound screening was used to diagnose nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
The study participants were placed into one of three categories: those with metabolic syndrome alone (n=53), those with metabolic syndrome and NAFLD (n=67), and those with neither metabolic syndrome or NAFLD (control group, n=60). Adiponectin, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were tested using a five-hour solid phase ELISA.
The researchers compared participants with metabolic syndrome and NAFLD, abdominal obesity, high glucose and insulin resistance by HOMA-IR to those with only metabolic syndrome and those in the control group (P<.05). They found that women with metabolic syndrome, either alone or with NAFLD, had higher levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha and lower levels of adiponectin vs. women in the control group (P<.05).
Multivariate analysis revealed that the following variables conferred risk for NAFLD onset: high systolic BP (OR=1.02; 95% CI, 1-1.04); large waist circumference (OR=1.07; 95% CI, 1.01-1.13); insulin resistance (OR=3.81; 95% CI, 2.01-7.13) and metabolic syndrome (OR=8.68, 95% CI, 3.3-24.1). Conversely, higher adiponectin levels were negatively correlated with NAFLD risk (OR=0.88; 95% CI, 0.8-0.96).
“This study’s most important point is the research on metabolic syndrome and NAFLD and inflammatory markers, specifically in postmenopausal women, a group considered to be at risk of both diseases,” the researchers wrote. “These results suggest the importance of liver evaluation in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant disclosures.