Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease worldwide, affecting up to around 30% of adults.
Its global prevalence is expected to rise sharply over the next decade as a result of increasing levels of overweight and obesity.
In a study from the University of Verona, scientists found that the buildup of fat in the liver is linked to a higher risk of heart failure over the next decade.
Recently studies have implicated NAFLD in the development of heart failure—when the heart is unable to pump sufficient quantities of blood around the body.
In this study, the researchers analyzed the results of 11 long term international studies published up to March 2022.
The studies looked at the potential links between NAFLD and heart failure among more than 11 million middle-aged adults.
Around 1 in 4 (2.9 million; 26%) of the study participants already had NAFLD. Heart failure was diagnosed in 97,716 during an average monitoring period of 10 years.
The team showed that the presence of NAFLD was linked to a 50% higher risk of developing heart failure during the monitoring period.
The researchers also analyzed the data from selected studies by study country, length of monitoring period, method of heart failure diagnosis, and method of NAFLD diagnosis, but the results were still the same.
The team also found the risk also seemed to increase in parallel with the severity of NAFLD, especially with more extensive liver fibrosis (scarring), when the risk was 76% higher.
It’s not clear exactly how NAFLD might increase the risk of cardiac complications involved in the development of heart failure.
But NAFLD worsens systemic insulin resistance, promotes plaque formation, and releases a cocktail of inflammatory and blood-thickening chemicals.
Newer diabetes drugs, which lower blood glucose, seem to have some favorable effects on the risks of hospital admission for heart failure.
If you care about liver health, please read studies about a pill that reduces heart disease, obesity, fatty liver, and prebiotic could help treat fatty liver disease.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about a major cause of leaky gut, fatty liver disease, and results showing Aspirin is linked to increased risk of heart failure.
The study was conducted by Alessandro Mantovani et al and published in the journal Gut.
Copyright © 2022 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
