Abstract 19405: Association of Deep and Superficial Abdominal Subcutaneous Tissue With Hepatic Fat Content

Abstract

Introduction: The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has increased dramatically during the past decades, affecting 50-75 % of the obese subjects. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is regarded to be an important factor in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) is separated by the fascia superficialis into the deep SAT (dSAT) and superficial SAT (sSAT). It has been suggested that dSAT is related to an increased risk for obesity related complications, whereas sSAT has a more favorable profile. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of superficial and deep subcutaneous adipose tissue with hepatic steatosis. Methods: We recruited a subcohort of the Nijmegen Biomedical Study, a large population based cohort, including 133 subjects, BMI > 27 kg/m 2 , aged 55-81 years. Abdominal magnetic resonance imaging was performed at level L4-L5 to measure VAT, dSAT and sSAT volumes. The amount of liver fat was quantified by MR spectroscopy. Results: Men had significantly higher volumes of VAT and lower volumes of sSAT compared with women. No differences in volumes of dSAT were observed. In univariate analysis, the VAT volume was found to be correlated with hepatic steasosis (r = 0.339; p <0.001), while no significant correlation was found between total SAT, sSAT or dSAT with hepatic steatosis. After adjustment for age, alcohol use and sex, VAT was still positively correlated with hepatic steatosis with a standardized β of 0,276 (p=0.007), and sSAT, but not total SAT or dSAT, was negatively correlated with hepatic steatosis with a standardized β of -0,363 (p=0.033). Conclusions: VAT as measured by MRI is positively correlated with hepatic steatosis, in contrast to sSAT which is negatively correlated after adjustment for age, alcohol use and sex. We found no significant correlation between total SAT or dSAT and hepatic steatosis.