Free Triiodothyronine Is Independently Associated with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Hospitalized Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients

Retracted: Free Triiodothyronine Is Independently Associated with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Hospitalized Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1155/2021/8868339.].

The association between thyroid hormones and MAFLD is mediated by obesity and metabolic disorders and varies among MAFLD subtypes

BACKGROUND

Thyroid hormone (TH) disorders increased the risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD).

AIM

To assess whether the association between TH and MAFLD is mediated via metabolic dysfunctions and varies among MAFLD subtypes (diabetes-MAFLD, overweight/obesity-MAFLD, metabolic disorders-MAFLD).

METHODS

A total of 18,427 participants (661 diabetes-MAFLD, 3,600 overweight/obesity-MAFLD, 691 metabolic disorder-MAFLD cases, 13,475 non-MAFLD controls) from a Chinese hospital were enrolled. Hepatic ultrasound measurements and thyroid function were assessed.

RESULTS

Overweight/obesity mediated the associations of MAFLD with triiodothyronine (T3), free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), and the mediator accounted for 46.43%, 39.69%, and 42.68%, respectively. Metabolic disorder mediated the association of MAFLD with T3, FT3, FT4, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and the mediator accounted for 36.57%, 23.19%, 34,65%, and 60.92%, respectively. Diabetes did not complementary mediate any association between TH and MAFLD. Elevated T3, FT3, TSH and decreased FT4 increased the risk of overweight/obesity-MAFLD, and the odds ratios were 1.59, 1.72, 1.18, and 0.60, respectively (Q4 vs.Q1, false discovery rate (FDR)<0.05). Elevated T3, FT3, and decreased FT4 increased the risk of metabolic disorder-MAFLD, and the odds ratios were 1.45, 1.33, and 0.52, respectively (Q4 vs.Q1, FDR<0.05). No significant association between TH and diabetes-MAFLD was detected.

CONCLUSION

The association between TH and MAFLD is mediated by overweight/obesity and metabolic disorders and varies among MAFLD subtypes.

Decreased Serum Osteocalcin is an Independent Risk Factor for Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease in Type 2 Diabetes

PURPOSE

The association between serum osteocalcin (OCN) levels and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is still controversial. Moreover, few studies have explored their relationship in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients so far. The present study aimed to investigate the association of serum OCN levels with MAFLD in Chinese T2DM patients.

METHODS

This cross-sectional, real-world study included 1889 Chinese T2DM inpatients. MAFLD was diagnosed by abdominal ultrasonography. Participants were divided into four groups according to serum OCN quartiles, among which the clinical characteristics were compared. The association of serum OCN levels with the presence of MAFLD was also analyzed in subjects.

RESULTS

After controlling for sex, age, and diabetes duration, the prevalence of MAFLD significantly decreased across the serum OCN quartiles (55.3%, 52.0%, 48.6%, and 42.1% for the first, second, third, and fourth quartiles, respectively, P < 0.001 for trend). A fully adjusted multiple logistic regression analysis showed that serum OCN levels were independently and negatively associated with the presence of MAFLD in T2DM patients (odds ratio, 0.832; 95% confidence interval, 0.719-0.962; P = 0.013). Furthermore, there were significant decreases in HOMA-IR (P = 0.001 for trend) and C-reactive protein (P < 0.001 for trend) levels across the serum OCN quartiles after controlling for sex, age, and diabetes duration.

CONCLUSION

Serum OCN levels were independently and negatively associated with the presence of MAFLD in Chinese T2DM patients, partially due to the improvement of insulin resistance and inflammation mediated by OCN. Serum OCN may be used as a biomarker to assess the risk of MAFLD in T2DM patients.

Unraveling the Role of Hypothyroidism in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Pathogenesis: Correlations, Conflicts, and the Current Stand

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become one of the most common causes of chronic liver diseases globally. Because thyroid hormones play a crucial role in lipid metabolism, thyroid dysfunction has been implicated in NAFLD pathogenesis in the past decade, with hypothyroidism-induced NAFLD being regarded as a distinct disease entity. However, there has been no common consensus yet, and several studies have found contradictory results. Hence, we conducted this systematic review to represent the current view on the role of hypothyroidism (HT) and individual thyroid function parameters such as thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb), and thyroglobulin antibody (TGAb) in NAFLD pathogenesis. We searched PubMed, PubMed Central, and Semantic Scholar databases from inception until January 2021 to identify relevant observational (case-control, cross-sectional, and longitudinal) studies. A total of 699 articles were recognized through our database search. After applying the eligibility criteria and performing quality assessment, 10 studies involving 42,227 participants were included in the final systematic review. Each of these studies assessed different thyroid function parameters, and NAFLD was found to be associated with HT in two studies, elevated TSH in three studies, suppressed T4 in three studies, elevated T3 in one study, and elevated TPOAb in one study. There was also a wide heterogeneity in HT definition, study population characteristics, and study design among these studies, making a direct comparison difficult. Because the recognition of HT-induced NAFLD has possible diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic implications, we recommend that comprehensive, long-term prospective studies be carried out to determine if HT or thyroid function parameters are causally associated with NAFLD.