Glycemic variability and the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease : A nationwide population-based cohort study

Association between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes: A bidirectional two-sample mendelian randomization study

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to explore the mutually causal relationship between NAFLD and type 2 diabetes.

METHODS

Based on the data obtained from GWAS, this study employed bidirectional two-sample MR analysis to investigate the causal relationship between NAFLD and type 2 diabetes, and also examined the causal relationship between liver fat accumulation and type 2 diabetes as well as the relationship between NAFLD and FPG, IR.

RESULTS

In MR analysis of NAFLD and type 2 diabetes, when NAFLD as an exposure and type 2 diabetes as a result, the OR (95 % CI) was 1.10890 (1.00135-1.22801); in the reverse analysis, the OR value was not statistically significant. In MR analysis of NAFLD, FPG and IR, there was no statistical significance in both directions. In MR analysis of liver fat accumulation and type 2 diabetes, when liver fat as an exposure and type 2 diabetes as a result, the OR (95 % CI) was 1.17516 (1.02054-1.35321); in the reverse analysis, the OR value (95 % CI) was 1.06283 (1.02879-1.09799).

CONCLUSION

There is a unidirectional causal relationship between NAFLD and type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, a bidirectional causal relationship exists between liver fat accumulation and type 2 diabetes.

Association between hemoglobin glycation index and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

AIMS/INTRODUCTION

The hemoglobin glycation index (HGI) represent the disparity between actual glycated hemoglobin measurements and predicted HbA1c. It serves as a proxy for the degree of non-enzymatic glycation of hemoglobin, which has been found to be positively correlated with diabetic comorbidities. In this study, we investigated the relationship between HGI and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), along with other relevant biological markers in patients with diabetes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study consisted of 3,191 adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus. We calculated the predicted glycated hemoglobin levels based on fasting blood glucose levels. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the correlation between the HGI and NAFLD. Hepatic steatosis was diagnosed using ultrasonography.

RESULTS

Among all participants, 1,784 (55.91%) were diagnosed with NAFLD. Participants with confirmed NAFLD showed elevated body mass index, diastolic blood pressure, liver enzyme, total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein and uric acid levels compared with those without NAFLD. In the unadjusted model, participants in the last tertile of HGI were 1.40-fold more likely to develop NAFLD than those in the first tertile (95% confidence interval 1.18-1.66; P < 0.001). In the fully adjusted model, those in the last tertile of HGI had a 39% increased risk of liver steatosis compared with confidence interval in the first tertile of HGI (95% confidence interval 1.12-1.74; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

A higher HGI suggests an elevated risk of developing NAFLD in patients with type 2 diabetes.

HOMA-IR is an effective biomarker of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in non-diabetic population

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate the correlation between homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in the non-diabetic population and establish its diagnostic efficacy.

METHODS

This observational study involved participants divided into NAFLD and non-NAFLD groups, and baseline data were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to correlate HOMA-IR with the risk of NAFLD. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of HOMA-IR for NAFLD. Subgroup analyses of non-obese individuals were performed.

RESULTS

Overall, 2234 non-diabetic participants were included. The HOMA-IR was significantly higher in the NAFLD group than in the non-NAFLD group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that HOMA-IR was a strong and independent risk factor for NAFLD after correcting for confounding factors. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) value of HOMA-IR for predicting NAFLD was 0.792. In the non-obese non-diabetic population, HOMA-IR was an independent risk factor for increased risk of lean NAFLD after correcting for confounding factors. The AUC value of HOMA-IR for predicting lean NAFLD was 0.770.

CONCLUSIONS

HOMA-IR is independently associated with the risk of NAFLD in the non-diabetic and non-obese non-diabetic populations and has good diagnostic value.

Elevated fasting glucose level increases the risk of fatty liver disease: a 10-year study of 31,154 individuals

OBJECTIVES

Dysglycemia promotes the occurrence of fatty liver disease (FLD). However, the process is unclear. This study aimed to analyze the median time-to-onset, cumulative prevalence and influencing factors for the occurrence of FLD in people undergoing routine screening and evaluation.

METHODS

Data from Karamay Central Hospital (September 2008-April 2017) were analyzed. Survival analysis was performed to calculate the median time and cumulative prevalence of FLD associated with normal and elevated fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels. Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine risk factors.

RESULTS

A total of 31,154 participants were included in the two cohorts of this study, including 15,763 men. The mean age was 41.1 ± 12.2 years. There were 2230 patients (1725 male) in the elevated FBG group, the median age was 53 years (range 21-85 years), the median time-to-onset of FLD was 5.2 years. The incidence of FLD was 121/1000 person-years, and the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year prevalence rates were 4%, 30%, 49%, and 64%, respectively. The normal FBG group included 28,924 participants (14,038 male), the median age was 40 years (range 17-87 years), and the corresponding values were as follows: 8.3 years, 66/1000 person-years, and 3%, 16%, 28%, and 41%, respectively. The Cox proportional hazards analysis revealed that age, blood pressure, FBG, body mass index and triglycerides were independent influencing factors for FLD in individuals (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Elevated FBG levels increase the risk of FLD and should be treated promptly.

Implications of fasting plasma glucose variability on the risk of incident peripheral artery disease in a population without diabetes: a nationwide population-based cohort study

Background

Diabetes have been known as a traditional risk factor of developing peripheral artery disease (PAD). However, the study evaluating the impact of long-term glycemic variability on the risk of developing PAD is limited, especially in a general population without diabetes.

Methods

We included 152,931 individuals without diabetes from the Korean National Health Insurance Service–Health Screening Cohort. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) variability was measured using coefficient variance (FPG-CV), standard deviation (FPG-SD), and variability independent of the mean (FPG-VIM).

Results

A total of 16,863 (11.0%) incident cases of PAD were identified during a median follow-up of 8.3 years. Kaplan–Meier curves showed a progressively increasing risk of PAD in the higher quartile group of FPG variability than in the lowest quartile group (log rank P < 0.001). Multivariable Cox proportional hazard analysis showed the hazard ratio for PAD prevalence as 1.11 (95% CI 1.07–1.16, P < 0.001) in the highest FPG-CV quartile than in the lowest FPG-CV quartile after adjusting for confounding variables, including mean FPG. Similar degree of association was shown in the FPG-SD and FPG-VIM. In sensitivity analysis, the association between FPG variability and the risk of developing PAD persisted even after the participants were excluded based on previously diagnosed diseases, including stroke, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease, or current smokers or drinkers. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that the effects of FPG variability on the risk of PAD were more powerful in subgroups of younger age, regular exercisers, and those with higher income.

Conclusions

Increased long-term glycemic variability may have a significant prognostic effect for incident PAD in individuals without diabetes.

Graphical Abstract

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12933-022-01448-1.