Published in:
01-08-2017 | Research Letter
Two-hour postload glycemia is associated to an increased risk of
NAFLD in healthy subjects with family history of type 2 diabetes: a
case control study
Authors:
Nadia Pallotta, Tiziana Filardi, Anna Carnovale, Luciano Nieddu, Paola Mariani, Giuseppina Vincoli, Andrea Lenzi, Susanna Morano
Published in:
Endocrine
|
Issue 2/2017
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Excerpt
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) includes steatosis and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which can be complicated by cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma [
1]. NAFLD affects over 30 % of the general population and is associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), obesity and metabolic syndrome [
2,
3]. NAFLD prevalence in T2DM patients is about 70 % using ultrasonography (US) [
4]. NAFLD and T2DM share insulin-resistance, which in the liver increases gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis, resulting in hyperglycemia. The pancreatic beta islet cells adapt to hyperglycemia by increasing insulin secretion. Hyperinsulinemia up-regulates several lipogenic transcription factors, promoting hepatic lipid synthesis [
5]. The association between NAFLD and T2DM seems to be the result of a “common soil” [
3]. Several studies showed that NAFLD predicts T2DM and vice versa, and that each condition may act as a progression factor for the other [
4]. There is evidence of a high risk of NASH and its progression to hepatocellular carcinoma in T2DM patients [
6]. Conversely, recent studies showed that NAFLD not only predicts diabetes [
7], but also contributes to poor glycemic control and chronic complications [
8]. Despite its clear link with T2DM, the association of NAFLD with family history of diabetes has been poorly investigated. A recent cross-sectional study in nondiabetic individuals with NAFLD demonstrated that family history of diabetes increased the risk of NASH and fibrosis [
9]. …
