J Korean Med Sci.  2012 Feb;27(2):184-189. 10.3346/jkms.2012.27.2.184.

Comparison of Visceral Fat and Liver Fat as Risk Factors of Metabolic Syndrome

• Lee J
• Chung DS
• Kang JH
• Yu BY

• KMID: 1120156
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2012.27.2.184

Abstract

The principal objective of this study was to determine whether visceral fat or liver fat is a more relevant risk factor for metabolic syndrome. A total of 98 subjects aged 18-65 yr, who visited a health promotion center in a university hospital, were enrolled in this study. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed based on the modified National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel III report (NCEP-ATPIII) criteria. We defined the visceral obesity as a visceral fat area of > or = 100 cm2 which was acquired by CT at the L4-5 level. To evaluate fatty liver, we applied a liver-to-spleen attenuation ratio < or = 1.1 as measured by CT at the T12 level. We employed binary logistic regression models that used the presence or absence of metabolic syndrome as a dependent variable and age, sex, and the presence or absence of visceral obesity and fatty liver as independent variables. Visceral obesity was not found to be an independent variable as a risk factor of metabolic syndrome (odds ratio 2.7; 95% confidence interval 0.55-13.30), but fatty liver was found to be significant in this model (odds ratio 71.3; 95% CI 13.04-389.53). Our study suggests that liver fat may be a more important risk factor than visceral fat in terms of its association with metabolic syndrome.

Keyword

Metabolic Syndrome; Visceral Fat; Liver Fat

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Blood Pressure
Body Composition
Demography
Fatty Liver/*complications
Female
Humans
Intra-Abdominal Fat/*anatomy & histology/radiography
Liver/anatomy & histology/radiography
Logistic Models
Male
Metabolic Syndrome X/diagnosis/epidemiology/*etiology
Middle Aged
Odds Ratio
Risk Factors
Sex Factors
Spleen/anatomy & histology/radiography
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Young Adult

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Abdominal fat CT for measurement of liver and spleen attenuation (in Hounsfield units).

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  Fig. 2 Comparison of the risk factor of metabolic syndrome according to the liver to spleen ratio (LSR) and the L4-5 visceral adipose tissue (VAT). P value from t-test. VAT, visceral adipose tissue area at the 4-5th lumbar vertebral level (cm2); LSR, Liver to spleen attenuation ratio.

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