Liver insulin resistance correlates with cardiac risk

(HealthDay) -- Liver insulin resistance (IR) may be a significant indicator of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among men, and correlates more closely with risk factors than whole-body insulin sensitivity, according to a study published online April 5 in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

Jagadish Vangipurapu, of the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital, and colleagues conducted a population-based, cross-sectional cohort study involving 8,750 men without diabetes to evaluate the association between CVD risk factors and markers of liver IR and whole-body insulin sensitivity (Matsuda insulin sensitivity index [ISI]).

Compared to Matsuda ISI, the researchers found that liver IR index correlated significantly more closely with total cholesterol, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and total triglycerides. In contrast, there was a nominally higher correlation between Matsuda ISI and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. For the majority of CVD risk factors assessed, the variance explained by liver IR index was larger than that explained by Matsuda ISI.

"Liver IR index correlated more strongly than Matsuda ISI with levels of total cholesterol, C-reactive protein, and triglycerides," the authors write. "Therefore, liver IR might be a significant indicator of CVD risk among men."