Association of thyroid function with non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease in recent‐onset diabetes

Background and Aims Non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been linked to type 2 diabetes (T2D), but also to hypothyroidism. Nevertheless, the relationship between thyroid function and NAFLD in diabetes is less clear. This study investigated associations between free thyroxine (fT4) or thyroid‐stimulating hormone (TSH) and NAFLD in recent‐onset diabetes. Methods Participants with recent‐onset type 1 diabetes (T1D, n = 358), T2D (n = 596) or without diabetes (CON, n = 175) of the German Diabetes Study (GDS), a prospective longitudinal cohort study, underwent Botnia clamp tests and assessment of fT4, TSH, fatty liver index (FLI) and in a representative subcohort 1H‐magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Results First, fT4 levels were similar between T1D and T2D (p = .55), but higher than in CON (T1D: p