01 Nov Epicardial Fat, Fatty Liver Linked

Posted at 00:54h in Author Interviews, Gastrointestinal Disease, Heart Disease, Weight Research by

Gianluca Iacobellis MD PhD Professor of Clinical Medicine Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USAMedicalResearh.com Interview with:
Gianluca Iacobellis MD PhD
Professor of Clinical Medicine
Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine,
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA


MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?

Dr. Iacobellis: Our study suggests that epicardial fat, the fat pad in direct contiguity to the heart, is a good predictor of liver steatosis in obese subjects

MedicalResearch.com: Were any of the findings unexpected?

Dr. Iacobellis: Our findings were consistent with the study hypothesis. However, we showed for the first time that cardiac and liver fat are clinically correlated, independently of the BMI.

MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from this study?

Dr. Iacobellis: Excessive accumulation of fat within and around the heart and the liver is a modifiable risk factor for diabetes and heart diseases.   Ultrasound-measured cardiac and liver steatosis are accurate, non invasive and easily accessible markers of intra-organ fat accumulation.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of your study?

Dr. Iacobellis: Ultrasound-measured epicardial fat predicts fatty liver better than BMI or waist circumferences does. Future studies looking at the clinical use of the echocardiographic epicardial fat as predictor of organ-specific adiposity and cardiometabolic risk are warranted.

Citation:

Epicardial fat thickness and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in obese subjects.
Obesity 2013 Sep 30.[Epub ahead of print]

Last Updated on November 1, 2013 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

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