Intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a cross-sectional study in Japanese men and women.

Background/objectives: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common condition, in which abnormal amounts of triglycerides accumulate in hepatocytes and is closely related to cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Dietary fats contribute 15% of fat accumulation in the liver and regulate hepatic lipid metabolism. The supplementation of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) improves NAFLD.

Increase in gamma-glutamyltransferase level and development of established cardiovascular risk factors and diabetes in Japanese adults.

Background: We investigated the predictive value of changes in serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in Japanese.

Methods: A total of 1514 adult participants in a general health examination program were followed for 3 years until January, 2006. The subjects were divided into two groups according to whether their serum GGT level had decreased (< or =0 U/L) or increased (> or =1 U/L) from the baseline level of GGT during the study period.

Hepatic steatosis rather than visceral adiposity is more closely associated with insulin resistance in the early stage of obesity.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the specific relationship between hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance in the early stage of obesity. Among general health examinees who received an ultrasound scanning, 131 subjects without fatty liver (non-FL group) and 142 subjects with fatty liver (FL group) were selected so that both groups were matched for age, sex, body mass index, and % body fat. The FL group was then subdivided into 2 groups according to the severity of steatosis by ultrasound.