NAFLD is most commonly seen in people living with obesity or overweight, and having higher levels of liver fat has previously been associated with development of type 2 diabetes.
However, this is the strongest evidence to date to suggest liver fat and pancreas size have a hand in causing the condition.
Diabetes UK RD Lawrence Fellow, Doctor Hanieh Yaghootkar at Brunel University, said: “People with type 2 diabetes usually have excess fat in their liver and pancreas, the two key organs in the maintenance of the normal level of blood sugar. The genetic analysis we used in this study is the best possible method to test this relationship and we provided evidence for a causal role of liver fat in type 2 diabetes risk.
“Our results encourage better treatment of those living with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and provide evidence for the multiple benefits of weight loss and better screening for diabetes risk in these people.
Published at Wed, 05 Jan 2022 00:01:00 +0000
Study finds new ‘causal’ risk factor type 2 diabetes – it affects one in three in UK
