Can Fatty Liver Disease Affect Your Heart?
Short answer: True
Jan Brandel, MD
Context: Fatty liver disease doesn't just affect the liver.
In a study led by Mass General Brigham Jan Brendel, MD, researchers found that people with fatty liver disease had more of a dangerous type of plaque in their heart arteries and were nearly twice as likely to experience major cardiovascular events such as a heart attack.
The findings suggest doctors may be able to identify heart disease risk earlier by spotting fatty liver disease during routine CT scans.
Future studies should examine whether therapies such as high-intensity statins or GLP-1 receptor agonists could help reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with fatty liver disease.
Carrying Extra Weight When You’re Young Won't Affect Your Future Heart Health
Short answer: False
Alexander Turchin, MD, MS
Context: A recent study led by Alexander Turchin, MD, MS, found that individuals who spend many years carrying excess weight can significantly increase the risk of heart disease, especially in younger adults.
In an analysis of 136,000+ participants from two large-scale research studies, Turpin and team found that long-term exposure to excess weight mattered more than a single BMI measurement, reinforcing the importance of efforts to reduce obesity and overweight early in life.
Lowering Cholesterol Can Help Prevent a First Heart Attack or Stroke in Diabetes Patients without Heart Disease
Short answer: True
Nicholas Marston, MD, MPH
Context: A research study led by Nicholas A. Marston, MD, MPH, found that patients with diabetes who received intensive cholesterol-lowering therapy even if they had no clinical signs of arteriosclerosis were significantly less likely to experience a first heart attack or stroke than those who did not receive the therapy.
The treatment lowered "bad" LDL cholesterol levels and reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events by nearly one-third compared to standard treatment alone.
For the past decade, intensive cholesterol-reducing therapies have been reserved for patients who already have cardiovascular disease.
However, the results of this study should change how we think about the prevention of heart attacks, strokes and heart disease in patients with diabetes, who face higher cardiovascular risks overall.
Hormonal Birth Control Always Increases Heart Disease Risk
Short answer: Not necessarily
Antonia Seligowski, PhD
Context: Stress is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and stress‑related psychiatric disorders such anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are more common in women.
Very little is known about how hormonal contraceptives affect cardiovascular risk in women with stress‑related psychiatric disorders, however.
In a study led by Antonia Seligowski, PhD, researchers found that hormonal contraceptive use was associated with a lower risk of major cardiovascular events for most women, including those with anxiety or depression.
However, the same protective effect was not seen among women with PTSD, suggesting that heart health risks may be influenced by individual factors.
If future studies confirm these results, clinicians may need to consider stress‑related psychiatric disorders when discussing hormonal contraceptive options with patients, Seligowski says.
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