Furuhashi M, Muranaka A, Yuda S, et al. - In a general population without medication, an independent link of elevated fatty liver index (FLI: a noninvasive and simple predictor of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease) with left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction was found. FLI would afford a novel marker of LV diastolic dysfunction as an early sign of myocardial injury.

• A potential link of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease with cardiovascular disease has been suggested.

• This analysis involved 185 persons (men/women: 79/106) of the Tanno-Sobetsu Study, a population-based cohort.

• A negative correlation of FLI with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and peak myocardial velocity during early diastole (e’), an index of LV diastolic function, and ratio of peak mitral velocities during early and late diastole (E/A), was found.

• FLI was positively linked with age, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, creatinine, uric acid, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, ratio of mitral to myocardial early diastolic peak velocity (E/e’), left atrial volume index and LV mass index.

• In addition, e’ was independently as well as negatively related to FLI post-adjustment of age, gender, systolic blood pressure, and LV ejection fraction.