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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Optimized Analysis of In Vivo and In Vitro Hepatic Steatosis
Published on: March 11, 2017
Differential effect of gender on hepatic fat
Vicente Gilsanz1, Sandra A Chung, Neil Kaplowitz
1Department of Radiology, MS 81, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, USC, Keck School of Medicine, 4650 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA. vgilsanz@chla.usc.edu
Background:
There are discrepant data on whether men or women have a higher risk for hepatic steatosis.
Objective:
To examine the influence of gender on hepatic adiposity in teenagers and young adults.
Materials And Methods:
We measured subcutaneous abdominal fat (SAF), intra-abdominal fat (IAF) and hepatic tissue density (a surrogate measure of hepatic fat) using CT in 505 healthy teenagers and young adults (254 males, 251 females; ages 15-22.9 years).
Results:
Overall, compared to men, women had higher values of SAF (P < 0.0001) but similar measures of IAF and liver tissue density (P = 0.09 and 0.92, respectively). However, when compared to overweight/obese men, overweight/obese women had strikingly similar IAF values (P = 0.85) but lower hepatic fat (P = 0.009). Multiple regression analyses indicated that, after adjusting for age and SAF, IAF independently predicted hepatic density in males (P < 0.0001) but not in females (P = 0.36). Hepatic fat increased with body mass in males from lean to overweight and obese (P < 0.0001) but not in females (P > 0.05).
Conclusion:
When compared to overweight and obese young women, overweight and obese young men are at greater risk for hepatic steatosis, independent of IAF.
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