Education
A Mass General Brigham study links fatty liver to a 69% higher relative risk of major heart events. Why your liver is talking to your heart.
Fatty liver disease — now called MASLD — is everywhere. As many as 1 in 3 American adults have some degree of it, often without knowing. For years, doctors treated it as a liver problem. A new Mass General Brigham study, using cardiac CT scans of 3,637 patients from the PROMISE trial, shows we've been thinking about it wrong. People with fatty liver had more unstable artery plaque, and a 69% higher relative risk of heart attacks, strokes, or cardiac death over the following two years.
In this episode:
• What fatty liver (MASLD) actually is and why it's so common
• How researchers used heart CT scans to spot fatty liver "for free"
• Why noncalcified plaque is the more dangerous kind
• The absolute risk difference: 4.1% vs 2.5% over two years
• Why diabetes, prediabetes, and abdominal weight raise the stakes
• How the same lifestyle changes treat both fatty liver and heart risk
Key takeaway: Your liver and your heart are not separate stories. If a doctor has ever mentioned fatty liver, the next question is — what are my heart-risk numbers? Blood pressure. LDL cholesterol. A1C. Don't wait for an event to find out.
Disclaimer: This podcast is for general education only. It is not medical advice. Always consult your doctor.
#FattyLiver #MASLD #HeartDisease #Cardiovascular #Diabetes #MetabolicHealth #InsulinResistance #PROMISETrial #MedicalNewsUpdate