Relationship between gallbladder polyps and fatty liver?

Hepatic fat is associated with gallbladder polyps

The latest issue of the Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology reports that hepatic fat, not visceral fat, is associated with gallbladder polyps.

Gallbladder polyps appear to be strongly associated with obesity and metabolic disease.

To date, the relationship between gallbladder polyps and fatty liver has not been adequately evaluated.

Dr Donghee Kim and colleagues from South Korea investigated whether gallbladder polyps are associated with fatty liver, which is an ectopic regional fat deposit, independent of visceral adipose tissue.

The team conducted a cross-sectional study using 2643 health checkup subjects.
The subjects underwent various laboratory tests, abdominal fat computed tomography (CT), and hepatic ultrasonography.

The degree of fatty liver showed a dose-dependent relationship with large gallbladder polyps

Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology

The mean age of the subjects was 51 years, and 74% were male.
The research team found that gallbladder polyps were significantly associated with fatty liver.

The team noted that gallbladder polyps were significantly associated with the presence of fatty liver, and adjusting for the homeostatic metabolic assessment index had little effect on this association.

Additionally, gallbladder polyps remained significantly associated with the presence of fatty liver after adjustments for CT-measured visceral adipose tissue and subcutaneous adipose tissue.

The researchers observed that the degree of fatty liver showed an independent, and dose-dependent relationship with large gallbladder polyps.

Dr Kim's team concludes, "Fatty liver, an ectopic regional fat deposit, was found to be closely associated with gallbladder polyps independent of known metabolic risk factors, insulin resistance, and CT-measured visceral adipose tissue, confirming a relevant clinical relationship between the two diseases."

Abstract Summary - http://www.gastrohep.com/news/news.asp?id=111026  
Abstract - J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2015: 30(4): 767–774
31 March 2015