Non-invasive 2H-MRS reveals a greater liver fat contribution from de novo lipogenesis in South Asians compared with Europeans
Azhar, M.; Worsley, J.; Dennis, K. M. J. H.; De Lucia Rolfe, E.; Barrett, A.; Mandour, M. O.; Demir, E.; Carr, K.; Ferraro, M.; De Jesus, R.; King, S.; Jose, S.; White, S. R.; Barker, P.; Kemp, G. J.; Brindle, K. M.; Chatterjee, K. K.; Forouhi, N. G.; Venables, M.; Watson, L.; Hodson, L.; Savage, D. B.; Sleigh, A.
Show abstract
Understanding the role of de novo lipogenesis (DNL) in human liver fat accumulation and insulin resistance has been hampered by a lack of non-invasive techniques capable of quantifying DNL-derived liver lipid. Here we develop a precise method that utilises deuterium magnetic resonance imaging, capable of detecting human 2H liver lipid signal changes in vivo due to DNL. We formulate MR-specific DNL equations and use these to determine if DNL accounts for the increased liver fat and metabolic risk previously reported in South Asians, compared with age- and BMI- matched individuals from European ancestry. We find an increased fraction of liver fat originates from DNL in South Asians, and that this strongly relates to the amount of liver fat and composition, implying DNL or related factors could play a pivotal role in driving the increased liver fat in South Asians.
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