Elaborating on the Connection between Fatty Liver Disease and Cardiovascular Disease

On this episode of Asked and Answered, Dr. Stephanie Coulter sits down with Dr. Briana Costello to discuss Fatty Liver Disease (FLD) and how it relates to cardiovascular disease.    

For more information about how to be “Heart Smart”, visit texasheart.org/heart-health/heart-information-center/

Watch the video here.

Watch On Demand Videos on Texas Heart TV

Visit Our Website: texasheart.org

Episode Transcript

(05:15:28):
Oh, this is a very interesting question,actually.
can you elaborate on the associationbetween fatty liver disease
and cardiovascular disease?
Fatty liver is on the rise.
Fatty liver is related to the obesityand diabetes
epidemic in people that have excess fat.

(05:15:50):
Put it in weird spots.
The liver being one of them.
The sac around the heart is another one.
Yeah.
And then, you know, live fat.
That's not in a normal fatty location.
Acts differently. It acts aggressively.
It makes chemicals that are inflammatory,that are inflammatory,

(05:16:10):
and it increasesyour risk of heart disease and increases
your risk of heart attacks, of strokesand of cirrhosis of the liver,
particularly if you're Hispanicand if you drink.
So all the medicinesthat we use to treat lipids
and that treat diabetes and dietsthat are all cardiovascular
beneficial are good for liver disease,for fatty liver disease.

(05:16:34):
Yeah.
And I think that, you know,the obesity epidemic, like Doctor Colter
said, is really somethingthat us as a cardiology community,
we're combating nowand in the future will continue to do
so as diabetes is on the rise,obesity is on the rise.
so I think that, if you've been toldyou have a fatty liver,
back in the day,I think people used to just say, oh,

(05:16:55):
you have a little bit of a fatty liver,but now we we're much more ambitious
about it. Yeah.
And we know that there are things,you know, in, daily routines
that we can change to improve it.
And medicines,of course, that we used to help, too.
In this article,there's a big chart of what
medicines, in fact, it was shockingbecause when I was reading the,
you know, evidence based medicinefor the treatment of fatty liver disease,

(05:17:18):
it was like reading the diagramof how I prevent heart disease.
It was basically the exact same thing.
So, we're going to leave youwith some tips for the future.
Lead a heart healthy lifestyle.
Encourage your friends and family membersto do the same.
Monitor your blood pressureand see your doctor for routine screening.

(05:17:39):
You know, really,certainly after the age of 50 or sooner,
if you have a strong family history.