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Fatty pancreas not linked to future diabetes risk
An association of fatty pancreas with future type 2 diabetes can be explained by fatty liver and obesity, according to results of a 5-year study among Japanese adults.
Hajime Yamazaki, MD, of the Center for Gastroenterology at Teine Keijinkai Hospital Sapporo in Japan, and colleagues evaluated data from 813 adults (mean age, 51.8 years; 77.1% men) without diabetes who underwent health checks by unenhanced CT scanning in 2008 and 2009 at Keijinkai Maruyama Clinic. Follow-up was a median 5.06 years.
During follow-up, 7.6% of participants developed type 2 diabetes. In univariate analysis, less pancreatic fat at baseline was associated with decreased type 2 diabetes incidence (crude HR = 0.97; 95% CI, 0.96-0.99), whereas a fatty pancreas was associated with an increased type 2 diabetes incidence. After adjustment for age, sex, BMI, liver attenuation and alcohol intake of 20 g or more per day, the link between fatty pancreas and an increased type 2 diabetes incidence no longer existed (multivariate adjusted HR = 1; 95% CI, 0.98-1.02).
“This is apparently the first longitudinal study evaluating the effects of fatty pancreas on [type 2 diabetes] incidence,” the researchers wrote. “The study showed that fatty pancreas was associated with [type 2 diabetes] incidence in a crude model, but the association was substantially explained by confounders, such as fatty liver and obesity. In the context of the present results, fatty pancreas was not independently associated with future [type 2 diabetes]. Further research is also warranted to evaluate the effect of fatty pancreas on the development of metabolic syndrome.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.