The summaries are free for public
use. The Chronic Liver Disease
Foundation will continue to add and
archive summaries of articles deemed
relevant to CLDF by the Board of
Trustees and its Advisors.
Abstract Details
Adherence to Ideal Cardiovascular Health Metrics Is Associated With Reduced Odds of Hepatic Steatosis
Hepatol Commun. 2020 Oct 10;5(1):74-82. doi: 10.1002/hep4.1614. eCollection 2021 Jan.
Leah R DeCoste1, Na Wang2, Joseph N Palmisano2, Jean Mendez3, Udo Hoffmann4, Emelia J Benjamin567, Michelle T Long3
Author information
1Evans Department of Medicine Boston University School of Medicine Boston MA US.
2Department of Mathematics and Statistics Boston University School of Public Health Boston MA US.
3Section of Gastroenterology Boston Medical Center Boston University School of Medicine Boston MA US.
4Radiology Department Massachusetts General Hospital Harvard Medical School Boston MA US.
5Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute and Cardiology Section Evans Department of Medicine Boston University School of Medicine Boston MA US.
6Department of Epidemiology Boston University School of Public Health Boston MA US.
7Boston University and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institutes' Framingham Heart Study Framingham MA US.
Abstract
The American Heart Association (AHA) introduced Life's Simple 7 as a metric to define ideal cardiovascular health. We examined the association between cardiovascular health score (CHS) and prevalent nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among Framingham Heart Study participants with varying genetic risk of NAFLD. Framingham Heart Study participants who underwent abdominal computed tomography scans were included (n = 2,773). We defined hepatic steatosis as the mean Hounsfield unit attenuation of the liver compared to a phantom control. We calculated CHS based on adherence to metrics from the AHA's Life's Simple 7 guidelines, including blood sugar, total cholesterol, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), time spent on physical activity per week, and smoking status. We used multivariable-adjusted regression models to evaluate the association between CHS and hepatic steatosis, accounting for covariates and stratifying by NAFLD genetic risk. Overall, 12% of the sample achieved 0-1 goals and 25%, 27%, 21%, 13%, and 2.6% achieved 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 goals, respectively. For each 1-unit increase in CHS, there was a decrease in the odds ratio (OR) of prevalent hepatic steatosis (OR, 0.54; 95% confidence interval, 0.49-0.59). Individually, BMI had the strongest association with NAFLD. Participants with high or intermediate genetic risk of NAFLD demonstrated higher relative decreases in hepatic steatosis with increased CHS compared to those at low genetic risk. Conclusion: Adhering to the AHA Life's Simple 7 metrics was associated with reduced odds of prevalent NAFLD, particularly for those at high genetic risk. Additional longitudinal studies are needed.