Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Markers Associated with Fasting Serum Insulin and Urinary Albumin Excretion Independent of Fasting Plasma Glucose

• Main Authors: Shuichi Katoh, Markku Peltonen, Mikio Zeniya, Yoichi Sakamoto, Kazunori Utsunomiya, Rimei Nishimura, Jaakko Tuomilehto
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-09-01
• Series: Journal of Clinical Medicine
• Subjects: non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; fasting serum insulin; urinary albumin excretion; serum alanine aminotransferase; diabetes; impaired fasting glucose
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/9/10/3161

Objective: We examined the association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) markers and fasting serum immunoreactive insulin (FIRI) and urinary albumin excretion (UAE). Subjects and methods: This study comprised Periods I and II from January 2007 to May 2009, and from June 2009 to December 2011, respectively. After excluding people with ethanol intake ≥210 g/week in men and ≥140 g/week in women, 961 people (613 men, 348 women; mean age: 44 years) were included. We evaluated the fatty liver using ultrasonography score (FLUS) and measured liver enzymes. Results: The mean observation period was 25 ± 9 months. We stratified people into two groups by fasting plasma glucose (FPG) in Period I. The cutoff point between the lower FPG and higher FPG was 100 mg/dL. In regression analysis, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (<em>p </em>< 0.001), FLUS (<em>p </em>< 0.001) and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGTP) (<em>p </em>= 0.022) in Period I were independently associated with FIRI in Period II, whereas in all participants FPG was not. ALT (<em>p </em>< 0.001) and GGTP (<em>p</em> = 0.001) were also independently associated with UAE in people with FPG < 100 mg/dL in Period II. Conclusions: Some NAFLD markers were associated with FIRI and UAE independently of fasting plasma glucose.