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Differential effect of gender on hepatic fat

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Abstract

Background

There are discrepant data on whether men or women have a higher risk for hepatic steatosis.

Objective

To examine the influence of gender on hepatic adiposity in teenagers and young adults.

Materials and methods

We measured subcutaneous abdominal fat (SAF), intra-abdominal fat (IAF) and hepatic tissue density (a surrogate measure of hepatic fat) using CT in 505 healthy teenagers and young adults (254 males, 251 females; ages 15–22.9 years).

Results

Overall, compared to men, women had higher values of SAF (P < 0.0001) but similar measures of IAF and liver tissue density (P = 0.09 and 0.92, respectively). However, when compared to overweight/obese men, overweight/obese women had strikingly similar IAF values (P = 0.85) but lower hepatic fat (P = 0.009). Multiple regression analyses indicated that, after adjusting for age and SAF, IAF independently predicted hepatic density in males (P < 0.0001) but not in females (P = 0.36). Hepatic fat increased with body mass in males from lean to overweight and obese (P < 0.0001) but not in females (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

When compared to overweight and obese young women, overweight and obese young men are at greater risk for hepatic steatosis, independent of IAF.

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Abbreviations

NAFLD:

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

IAF:

Intra-abdominal fat

BMI:

Body mass index

WC:

Waist circumference

SAF:

Subcutaneous abdominal fat

HU:

Hounsfield units

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Acknowledgment

This work is supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health (1R01 AR052744-01) and from the Department of the Army (DAMD17-01-1-0817).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, MS 81, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, USC, Keck School of Medicine, 4650 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90027, USA

    Vicente Gilsanz & Sandra A. Chung

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, USC, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Vicente Gilsanz

  3. USC Research Center for Liver Disease, USC, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Neil Kaplowitz

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  1. Vicente Gilsanz
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  2. Sandra A. Chung
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  3. Neil Kaplowitz
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Correspondence to Vicente Gilsanz.

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Gilsanz, V., Chung, S.A. & Kaplowitz, N. Differential effect of gender on hepatic fat. Pediatr Radiol 41, 1146–1153 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-011-2021-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-011-2021-7

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