Table 1.
Metabolic and Clinical Implications of Intrahepatic TG Content in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease [8,12–14]
| Intrahepatic TG content | Metabolic and histologic implications |
|---|---|
| >1.5% | Decrease in the suppression of endogenous glucose production (on euglycemic clamp study) |
|
| |
| Up to 4.2% | Steep decrease in skeletal muscle glucose disposal (on euglycemic clamp study) and then reached a plateau |
|
| |
| ≥5% (5.56%) | Steatosis defined |
|
| |
| ≥6.6% | Increase in the severity of inflammation |
|
| |
| Up to 8.1% | TG increase and then reached a plateau |
| Up to 8.8% | HDL-C decrease and then reached a plateau |
|
| |
| Linearly correlated with | Plasma insulin (decrease in insulin clearance), ALT, AST, adipose tissue insulin resistance |
|
| |
| At 6%±2% | Metabolic changes are already fully established |
|
| |
| 12.4% | NASH diagnosed with a greater sensitivity |
| ≥12.5% | US positivity increases at optimal sensitivity |
TG, triglyceride; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; NASH, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; US, ultrasonography.