Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Markers Associated with Fasting Serum Insulin and Urinary Albumin Excretion Independent of Fasting Plasma Glucose.

OBJECTIVE

We examined the association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) markers and fasting serum immunoreactive insulin (FIRI) and urinary albumin excretion (UAE).

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

This study comprised Periods I and II from January 2007 to May 2009, and from June 2009 to December 2011, respectively. After excluding people with ethanol intake ≥210 g/week in men and ≥140 g/week in women, 961 people (613 men, 348 women; mean age: 44 years) were included. We evaluated the fatty liver using ultrasonography score (FLUS) and measured liver enzymes.

RESULTS

The mean observation period was 25 ± 9 months. We stratified people into two groups by fasting plasma glucose (FPG) in Period I. The cutoff point between the lower FPG and higher FPG was 100 mg/dL. In regression analysis, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ( < 0.001), FLUS ( < 0.001) and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGTP) ( = 0.022) in Period I were independently associated with FIRI in Period II, whereas in all participants FPG was not. ALT ( < 0.001) and GGTP ( = 0.001) were also independently associated with UAE in people with FPG < 100 mg/dL in Period II.

CONCLUSIONS

Some NAFLD markers were associated with FIRI and UAE independently of fasting plasma glucose.