2010 Volume 25 Issue 1 Pages 44-49
Objective: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been reported to be associated with insulin resistance. However, the causal relationship between these two pathological states and its molecular mechanism remain largely unclear.
Methods: We analyzed the relationship between insulin resistance and NAFLD in nondrinkers (521 men and 575 women) who visited our center for health check-ups and were not taking any medication for hyperlipidemia and diabetes mellitus.
Results: The data obtained in this study indicate that the incidence of NAFLD was positively correlated with HOMA-R levels. In addition, the result for serum triglyceride to HDL cholesterol ratios, which are used as a lipid marker for insulin resistance, was similar to that obtained for HOMA-R.
Conclusions: In view of a recent study finding that patients with an insulin receptor defect had a low triglyceride to HDL-cholesterol ratio and a high HOMA-R, the data presented here can be interpreted as an indication that the defective insulin signaling in patients with NAFLD occurs at post-receptor levels.
