The association between epicardial adipose tissue and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A systematic review of existing human studies

Authors

  • Hadi Emamat Student Research Committee, Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8562-9136
  • Hadith Tangestani Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Health and Nutrition, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2815-8219
  • Mojgan Behrad Nasab Nutritionist, Emam Reza Hospital, AJA University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4234-4285
  • Hamid Ghalandari Department of Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0318-9641
  • Azita Hekmatdoost Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, No 7, West Arghavan St., Farahzadi Blvd., Zip Code:1981619573, P.O.Box: 19395-4741, Tehran, Iran. Tel: +98 21 22360658; Fax: +98 2122360657; E-mail: a_hekmat2000@yahoo.com http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1944-0052

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2021-3815

Keywords:

Epicardial adipose tissue, epicardial fat, NAFLD, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, visceral fat

Abstract

The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has significantly risen all around the world. Although visceral fat mass has been identified as an independent risk factor for NAFLD, the association of other ectopic fat depots, such as Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), with the disease has not been fully elucidated. The aim of the current study was to systematically review all available human studies conducted on the associations between EAT and NAFLD. All human studies published in English, which examined the association between the thickness or the volume of EAT and the incidence of NAFLD were systematically searched on PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar search engines, from inception up to April 2021. Eighteen studies that met inclusion criteria were included in the final review. A total of 86 studies were found through searching the databases. After excluding duplicates, seventy six remained studies were scanned by title and abstract, out of which, 58 were excluded. Finally, eighteen articles (thirteen cross-sectional studies and five case-control studies) published between 2008 and 2021, were included in the review. According to the results of the reviewed articles, EAT was associated with the presence and progression of NAFLD. Furthermore, NAFLD patients with thicker EAT may need a more intensive hepatic follow-up. However, we suggest further investigation to find out the underlying mechanisms describing the observed association.

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Published

2021-06-14

How to Cite

Emamat, H., Tangestani, H., Behrad Nasab, M., Ghalandari, H., & Hekmatdoost, A. (2021). The association between epicardial adipose tissue and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A systematic review of existing human studies. EXCLI Journal, 20, 1096–1105. https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2021-3815

Issue

Vol. 20 (2021)

Section

Review articles

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Copyright (c) 2021 Hadi Emamat, Hadith Tangestani, Mojgan Behrad Nasab, Hamid Ghalandari, Azita Hekmatdoost

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