title: Hepatic fat content is a determinant of metabolic phenotypes and increased carotid intima-media thickness in obese adults.
abstract: Individuals with metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) are at relatively low risk for the development of metabolic abnormalities and subclinical atherosclerosis. This study aims to examine whether hepatic fat accumulation determines metabolic phenotype of obesity and associated with subclinical atherosclerosis. A total of 485 obese adults (aged 40-65 years) who received magnetic resonance spectroscopy were divided into metabolically abnormally obesity (MAO) and MHO groups according to metabolic status. MHO individuals had lower levels of intrahepatic triglyceride (IHTG) content and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) than MAO individuals. In multivariable linear regression analyses, IHTG content was independently associated with metabolic syndrome components and CIMT. Based on receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the IHTG content displayed a higher area under the curve (AUC) for detecting the MAO phenotype (AUC = 0.70, 95%CI = 0.65-0.75) and increased CIMT (AUC = 0.60, 95%CI = 0.54-0.66) than BMI, waist circumference, and body fat percent. MHO individuals were 1.9 times (p < 0.001) more likely to have metabolic syndrome per 1 SD change in IHTG content in multivariable-adjusted models. Likewise, the risk for high CIMT increased 29% per 1 SD change in IHTG content [OR (95% CI):1.29(1.01-1.64)]. These findings suggest that hepatic fat is a potential predictor of metabolically unhealthy obesity phenotype and subclinical atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, The First Affiliated Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.|Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA.
authors.forename: Huijie
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
authors.forename: Zhimin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai Clinical Center for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Lingling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Yanfang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, The First Affiliated Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, The First Affiliated Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
authors.forename: Zhufeng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, The First Affiliated Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, The First Affiliated Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, The First Affiliated Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
authors.forename: Changqin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, The First Affiliated Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
authors.forename: Mingzhu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, The First Affiliated Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
authors.forename: Shuyu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, The First Affiliated Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
authors.forename: Xuejun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010641:Phenotype; D012372:ROC Curve; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism*; D055105:Waist Circumference
chemical_list: D014280:Triglycerides