In a recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers compare whether insulin- and non-insulin-based insulin resistance (IR) markers could predict the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in obese and non-obese individuals with no history of diabetes or hepatitis.
Study: Markers of insulin resistance associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in non-diabetic population . Image Credit: Jo Panuwat D / Shutterstock.com pens wholesale
Currently, liver biopsy, which is the gold standard diagnostic test for non-obese NAFLD, is invasive, while other methods, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT), are expensive. Although ultrasound imaging is relatively inexpensive, it is poorly sensitive to mild steatosis, and different physicians interpret its results differently. Overall, there is a shortage of appropriate diagnostic methods for detecting atypical non-obese NAFLD.
Previous studies have evaluated the association between IR markers and the risk of NAFLD; however, most have generated inconsistent results. Nevertheless, IR markers may assist in the early detection of NAFLD in non-obese patients with higher precision, given their association with liver fibrosis in NAFLD patients without diabetes.
In the present study, researchers recruited 2,148 subjects between 2021 and 2023 and collected information regarding their gender, age, as well as current and past medical and medication history. Based on computed body mass index (BMI), the study participants were categorized as non-obese or obese, with BMI values of less than 25 kg/m2 and exceeding 25 kg/m2, respectively.
Venous blood samples were collected after the study participants completed at least 10 hours of fasting. The levels of four non-insulin-based IR markers were assessed, which included homeostatic model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR), triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, TyG index with BMI (TyG-BMI), and triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (TG/HDL-c), as well as metabolic score for IR (METS-IR). The levels of these biomarkers were compared for their predictive ability for obese and non-obese NAFLD.
Logistic regression models were used to assess the relationship between IR markers and NAFLD risk. IR marker values were categorized into four quartiles of different variables.
The area under the curve (AUC) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) values allowed the researchers to evaluate the predictive ability of IR markers for NAFLD. In contrast, the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to quantify the correlation between IR markers and NAFLD risk. The statistical significance threshold was set at a p-value of less than 0.05.
The NAFLD group had significantly elevated levels of fasting plasma glucose (FPG), uric acid (UA), TG, aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT). Notably, the BMI of the obese and non-obese subgroups of the NAFLD group was also significantly higher.
The ORs for all five IR markers, including HOMA-IR, TyG, TyG-BMI, TG/HDL-c, and METS-IR, were markedly higher in the NAFLD group than in the non-NAFLD group. These levels often increased with increasing levels of quartiles in the overall study cohort, as well as among obese and non-obese subgroups.
In the non-obese subgroup, the AUC of TyG-BMI was the highest, thus suggesting that TyG-BMI has a better predictive value for NAFLD in non-diabetic and non-obese patients. Comparatively, in the obese subgroup, the AUC of HOMA-IR was the highest, which indicates that HOMA-IR is a better predictor for NAFLD in non-diabetic obese subjects. Moreover, the AUC of each IR marker was over 0.5 with p-values less than 0.05, thus indicating statistically significant and specific predictive values for NAFLD.
The study findings corroborate previous reports of IR markers associated with an increased risk of NAFLD. Thus, using TyG-BMI and HOMA-IR IR markers appear to be clinically relevant for diagnosing non-obese and obese NAFLD, respectively, as they were associated with better detection abilities than the other IR markers.
Although the researchers could not clarify the reason for this difference, they speculate that since TyG-BMI is calculated based on body fat distribution using FPG, TG, and BMI values, it has superior diagnostic value in non-obese individuals. Nevertheless, several studies also suggest that normal BMI in non-obese patients remains an independent risk factor for NAFLD.
Posted in: Medical Research News | Medical Condition News | Disease/Infection News
Tags: Alanine, Biopsy, Blood, Body Mass Index, Cholesterol, Computed Tomography, CT, Diabetes, Diagnostic, Fasting, Fatty Liver, Fibrosis, Glucose, Hepatitis, Imaging, Insulin, Insulin Resistance, Lipoprotein, Liver, Liver Disease, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Steatosis, Tomography, Triglyceride, Ultrasound, Uric Acid
Neha is a digital marketing professional based in Gurugram, India. She has a Master’s degree from the University of Rajasthan with a specialization in Biotechnology in 2008. She has experience in pre-clinical research as part of her research project in The Department of Toxicology at the prestigious Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow, India. She also holds a certification in C++ programming.
Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:
Mathur, Neha. (2023, November 26). Study identifies key markers for early detection of fatty liver disease in obese and non-obese individuals. News-Medical. Retrieved on April 27, 2024 from https://www.news-medical.net/news/20231126/Study-identifies-key-markers-for-early-detection-of-fatty-liver-disease-in-obese-and-non-obese-individuals.aspx.
Mathur, Neha. "Study identifies key markers for early detection of fatty liver disease in obese and non-obese individuals". News-Medical. 27 April 2024. <https://www.news-medical.net/news/20231126/Study-identifies-key-markers-for-early-detection-of-fatty-liver-disease-in-obese-and-non-obese-individuals.aspx>.
Mathur, Neha. "Study identifies key markers for early detection of fatty liver disease in obese and non-obese individuals". News-Medical. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20231126/Study-identifies-key-markers-for-early-detection-of-fatty-liver-disease-in-obese-and-non-obese-individuals.aspx. (accessed April 27, 2024).
Mathur, Neha. 2023. Study identifies key markers for early detection of fatty liver disease in obese and non-obese individuals. News-Medical, viewed 27 April 2024, https://www.news-medical.net/news/20231126/Study-identifies-key-markers-for-early-detection-of-fatty-liver-disease-in-obese-and-non-obese-individuals.aspx.
In this interview, Dr. Fu Wei, Director of Quality Management Department at BGI Genomics talks to AZoMedical about achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 and BS 10012 certifications.
In this interview, Dr. Church, the Molecular and Pediatric Pathologist at Boston Children's Hospital, talks to NewsMedical about their work in pediatric oncology, and the need to expand research and clinical options for children with cancer.
Isaac Chiu, Ph.D., and Daping Yang, Ph.D.
In this interview, News Medical speaks to Isaac Chiu, Ph.D and Daping Yang, Ph.D. of Harvard Medical School, about their latest research, revealing the surprising properties of pain.
News-Medical.Net provides this medical information service in accordance with these terms and conditions. Please note that medical information found on this website is designed to support, not to replace the relationship between patient and physician/doctor and the medical advice they may provide.
News-Medical.net - An AZoNetwork Site
Owned and operated by AZoNetwork, © 2000-2024
Your AI Powered Scientific Assistant
Hi, I'm Azthena, you can trust me to find commercial scientific answers from News-Medical.net.
A few things you need to know before we start. Please read and accept to continue.
Azthena may occasionally provide inaccurate responses. Read the full terms.
While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.
Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.
Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.
eco friendly pen Read the full Terms & Conditions.