NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -
In overweight or obese
children, fatty liver disease appears to be a specific risk
factor for the metabolic syndrome, a precursor of heart disease
and diabetes, according to a study appearing in the American
Heart Association's journal Circulation.

Dr. Jeffrey B. Schwimmer, at the University of California,
San Diego, and his associates studied 150 boys and girls
ranging in age from 5 to 17 years who had been referred to a
specialized clinic for obesity and/or suspected fatty liver
disease.

The patients, who indeed had biopsy-proven “nonalcoholic”
fatty liver disease, were compared with 150 “controls” who were
the same age and had the same degree of obesity but who did not
have fatty liver disease.

The results showed that the kids with fatty liver disease,
compared to the control subjects, “had a significantly higher
frequency” of abdominal obesity, high cholesterol, elevated
blood pressure, and high fasting glucose levels — all factors
that make up the metabolic syndrome.

In fact, 50 percent of the kids with fatty liver disease
could be classified as having metabolic syndrome, compared with
15 percent of those without fatty liver.

Schwimmer and his associates conclude that “the
identification of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in a child
should prompt global counseling to address nutrition, physical
activity, and avoidance of smoking to prevent the development
of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.”

SOURCE: Circulation, July 8, 2008.