Liver, visceral and subcutaneous fat in men and women of South Asian and white European descent: a systematic review and meta-analysis of new and published data
Authors' conclusion
South Asian men and women appear to store more ectopic fat in the liver compared with their white European counterparts with similar BMI levels. Given the emerging understanding of the importance of liver fat in diabetes pathogenesis, these findings help explain the greater diabetes risks in South Asians.
Study context
- Population
- Adults of South Asian and white European descent with imaging data on SAT, VAT and liver fat8 published + 3 unpublished datasets
- Comparison
- South Asian vs white European adults
- Outcome
- Weighted SMD for SAT, VAT and liver fat
Methodological detailsrandom-effects models, includes unpublished imaging data, pre-registered, Embase and PubMed searched from inception to August 2021, Risk of bias by ROBINS-E; certainty by GRADE
- Random-effects models
- Includes unpublished imaging data
- Pre-registered
- Embase and PubMed searched from inception to August 2021
- Risk of bias by ROBINS-E; certainty by GRADE
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
Liver fat
South Asian vs White EuropeanSMD (95% CI)
Men; 7 studies; I2=93%; more liver fat with South Asian
0.56(0.14–0.98)
Women; 5 studies; I2=53%; more liver fat with South Asian
0.31(0.14–0.48)
Further pooled results
| Outcome | SMD (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| SATSouth Asianvs White EuropeanMen; 9 studies; I2=83%; more SAT with South Asian | 0.34 (0.12–0.55) | |
| SATSouth Asianvs White EuropeanWomen; 8 studies; I2=72%; no significant difference | 0.03 (−0.17 to 0.23) | |
| VATSouth Asianvs White EuropeanMen; 9 studies; I2=85%; similar VAT | −0.03 (−0.24 to 0.19) | |
| VATSouth Asianvs White EuropeanWomen; 8 studies; I2=71%; no significant difference | 0.04 (−0.16 to 0.24) | |
| −0.500.51Difference (linear scale) |
BMI
- South Asian men had mean BMI ≈0.5-0.7 kg/m² lower than white European men
- South Asian women had ≈0.9 kg/m² lower BMI than white European women
Original publication
Liver, visceral and subcutaneous fat in men and women of South Asian and white European descent: a systematic review and meta-analysis of new and published data. Diabetologia. Published 13 October 2022. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →