A pathway linking liver fat and arterial stiffness - direct as well as indirect effects

Background Although the association of triglycerides (TG) with cardiovascular disease has been debated, accumulating evidence suggests that hypertriglyceridaemia may independently indicate an increased risk of atherosclerotic disease. A subclinical impairment of aortic elastic properties often precedes overt atherosclerotic disease and predicts the corresponding risk. Circulating TG levels are dictated not only by dietary intake but also by hepatic TG production, a process that is elevated in hepatic steatosis. This suggests that hepatic steatosis has indirect effects on vascular stiffness acting through increasing blood TG levels. Using the combination of flow imaging, H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and serum TG level, we investigated the relationship between hepatic fat content, circulating TG levels and aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) in obesity.