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Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and measures of early brain health in middle‐aged adults: The CARDIA study
Author(s) -
VanWagner Lisa B.,
Terry James G.,
Chow Lisa S.,
Alman Amy C.,
Kang Hakmook,
Ingram Katherine H.,
Shay Christina,
Lewis Cora E.,
Bryan R. Nick,
Launer Lenore J.,
Jeffrey Carr J.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.438
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1930-739X
pISSN - 1930-7381
DOI - 10.1002/oby.21767
Subject(s) - medicine , nonalcoholic fatty liver disease , magnetic resonance imaging , fatty liver , population , cerebral blood flow , disease , adipose tissue , liver disease , perfusion scanning , gastroenterology , perfusion , radiology , environmental health
Objective To assess associations between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and measures of brain health in a population‐based sample of adults. Methods Participants from the CARDIA study (Y25 exam; age 43‐55 years) with concurrent computed tomography quantification of liver fat, visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and brain magnetic resonance (MR) images were included ( n = 505). NAFLD was identified after exclusion of other causes of liver fat. Total tissue volume (TTV) and gray matter cerebral blood flow (GM‐CBF) were estimated using 3T brain MR images. Results NAFLD prevalence was 18%. NAFLD was associated with lower TTV and GM‐CBF after adjusting for intracranial volume, demographics, and health behaviors ( P < 0.04 for all). In models with additional adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors, the association of NAFLD with GM‐CBF remained significant ( P = 0.04) but was attenuated after adjustment for VAT ( P = 0.06) and eliminated with BMI ( P = 0.20). NAFLD was not associated with TTV after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors (P = 0.10) or additional adjustment for VAT ( P = 0.14) or BMI ( P = 0.05). Conclusions NAFLD is negatively associated with early brain health as assessed by MR measures of structure (TTV) and perfusion (GM‐CBF). BMI and VAT attenuated this relationship, providing insight into the potential metabolic role of liver fat in brain health and disease.