title: Intrahepatic fat, abdominal adipose tissues, and metabolic state: magnetic resonance imaging study.
abstract: Intrahepatic fat (IHF) is best known to associate with waist circumference (WC) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT), but its relation to abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue is controversial. While IHF ≥ 5% dichotomously defines fatty liver, %IHF is rarely considered as a continuous variable that includes the normal range. In this study, we aimed to evaluate %IHF association with abdominal fat subdepots, pancreatic, and renal-sinus fats.
  
  
  
  We evaluated %IHF, abdominal fat subdepots, %pancreatic, and renal-sinus fats, among individuals with moderate abdominal obesity, using 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging.
  
  
  
  Among 275 participants, %IHF widely ranged (0.01%-50.4%) and was lower in women (1.6%) than men (7.3%; P < .001). In an age, sex, and WC-adjusted models, VAT area (P < .006) was directly associated with %IHF, while superficial-subcutaneous adipose tissue proportion was inversely associated with %IHF (P < .006). In these models, renal-sinus fat was positively associated with %IHF (P = .005). In an age, sex, WC, and VAT-adjusted models, elevated liver enzymes, glycemic, lipid, and inflammatory biomarkers were associated with increased %IHF (P < .003 for all). In these models, the associations remained robust even within the normal range strata of IHF < 5% for triglycerides and chemerin (P ≤ .004 for all). For the diagnosis of fatty liver, the joint area under the curve of WC, alanine-aminotransferase, triglycerides/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance was 0.84(95% CI, 0.79-0.89).
  
  
  
  Intrahepatic fat is differentially associated with abdominal fat subdepots. Intrahepatic-fat as a continuous variable could be predicted by specific traditional parameters, even within the current normal range, and partially independent of VAT.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Anat
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2480-3751
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yaskolka Meir
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Lilac
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2420-074X
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tene
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Noa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Ilan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Shelef
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Research Center Negev, Dimona, Israel.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schwarzfuchs
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Yftach
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gepner
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Hila
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zelicha
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rein
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Nitzan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bril
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Serfaty
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Shira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kenigsbuch
authors.affiliation: Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Yoash
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chassidim
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Research Center Negev, Dimona, Israel.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sarusy
authors.affiliation: Rabin Medical Center-Hasharon Hospital, Petah-Tiqva, Israel.
authors.forename: Dror
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dicker
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thiery
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Uta
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ceglarek
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stumvoll
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blüher
authors.affiliation: Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Meir J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Stampfer
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Assaf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rudich
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Shai
mesh_terms: D050153:Abdominal Fat / Q000503:physiopathology*; D050218:Body Fat Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008099:Liver / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: MRI; deep subcutaneous adipose tissue; intrahepatic fat; superficial subcutaneous adipose tissue; visceral adipose tissue