Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF15) is Associated with Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) in Youth with Overweight or Obesity

Overview

Journal Nutr Diabetes

Specialties Endocrinology
Nutritional Sciences

Date 2022 Feb 23

PMID 35194014

Authors

Brittany Galuppo

Cristiana Agazzi

Bridget Pierpont

Jennifer Chick

Zhongyao Li

Sonia Caprio

Nicola Santoro

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) has been associated with food intake and weight regulation in response to metabolic stress. In animal models, it has been noted that it may play a role in the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the leading cause of chronic liver disease in children.

Design: In the current study, we explored the association of circulating plasma concentrations of GDF15 with NAFLD in youth with overweight/obesity, and whether changes in plasma concentrations in GDF15 parallel the changes in intrahepatic fat content (HFF%) over time.

Methods: Plasma GDF15 concentrations were measured by ELISA in 175 youth with overweight/obesity who underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess intrahepatic, visceral, and subcutaneous fat. Baseline fasting GDF15 concentrations were measured in twenty-two overweight/obese youth who progressed (n = 11) or regressed (n = 11) in HFF% by more than 30% of original over a 2-year period.

Results: Youth with NAFLD had significantly higher plasma concentrations of GDF15 than those without NAFLD, independent of age, sex, ethnicity, BMI z-score (BMIz), and visceral fat (P = 0.002). During the OGTT, there was a decline in plasma GDF15 concentrations from 0 to 60 min, but GDF15 concentrations returned to basal levels by the end of the study. There was a statistically significant association between change in HFF% and change in GDF15 (P = 0.008; r = 0.288) over ~2 years of follow-up.

Conclusions: These data suggest that plasma GDF15 concentrations change with change in intrahepatic fat content in youth with overweight/obesity and may serve as a biomarker for NAFLD in children.

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