Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Hispanic Youth with Dysglycemia: Risk for Subclinical Atherosclerosis?

Context: Obese Hispanic adolescents (OHAs) with dysglycemia have increased cardiovascular disease risk burden. Objective: To investigate if nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) confers added risk for endothelial dysfunction in these youth. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Academic institution. Participants: Thirty-six OHAs (15.3 ± 0.4 years), 20 with prediabetes and 16 with type 2 diabetes, with and without NAFLD. Intervention: Evaluation of reactive hyperemia index (RHI) and augmentation index (AIx) by peripheral arterial tonometry; muscle, hepatic, and adipose tissue insulin sensitivity (IS; hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp 80 mu/m2/min, with [6,6 2H2]glucose and [2H5] glycerol); body composition; and abdominal and hepatic fat by magnetic resonance imaging/spectroscopy. Outcome Measures: RHI and AIx. Hypothesis: OHAs with dysglycemia and NAFLD have worse RHI and AIx vs those without NAFLD. Results: The NAFLD (n = 23) and non-NAFLD (n = 13) groups were of similar age, sex, glycemic status, body mass index, % body fat and abdominal fat. The NAFLD group had higher hepatic fat (P < 0.001) lower skeletal muscle IS (P = 0.01), hepatic IS (P = 0.01), and adipose tissue IS (P = 0.04). The NAFLD vs non-NAFLD group had lower RHI (1.4 ± 0.05 vs 1.7 ± 0.09, P = 0.002), greater AIx (–6.0 ± 1.6 vs –12.0 ± 2.1, P = 0.03). Hepatic fat was inversely related to RHI (r = –0.49, P = 0.002) and positively related to AIx (r = 0.45, P = 0.006). Hepatic IS (r = –0.42, P = 0.01) and adipose IS (r = –.54, P = 0.001) correlated with arterial stiffness (AIx). Conclusion: In OHAs with dysglycemia, NAFLD is associated with worse endothelial function. RHI and AIx were related to hepatic fat content. Vascular stiffness was related to hepatic and adipose tissue insulin resistance.