Fatty Liver, Abdominal Visceral Fat, and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors: The Jackson Heart Study

OBJECTIVE—The goal of this study was to examine whether fatty liver and abdominal visceral adipose tissue (VAT) are jointly associated with cardiometabolic abnormalities. METHODS AND RESULTS—Black participants were from the Jackson Heart Study (n=2882, 65% women) who underwent computed tomography. Fatty liver was measured by liver attenuation in Hounsfield units (LA), and VAT was quantified volumetrically. Cross-sectional associations between LA, VAT, and cardiometabolic risk factors were assessed using linear and logistic regression, and their joint associations were further examined in 4 subgroupshigh-LA/low-VAT (n=1704), low-LA/low-VAT (n=422), high-LA/high-VAT (n=436), and low-LA/high-VAT (n=320). Both LA and VAT were associated with most cardiometabolic traits (all P