Sunday Nov 10, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- If you get a fatty liver or non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD), then you are at high risk for kdney disease and heart disease, a study in Journal of the Saudi Heart Association suggests.

H. A. El Azeem from Cardiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al Azhar University in Egypt and colleagues conducted the study and found NAFLD diagnosed by ultrasound is a good predictor for the risk of incident cardiovascular and kidney impairment events.

The finding was based an analysis of data from 1,150 patients whose liver and renal functions were normal or close to normal and who did not experience proteinuria or cardiovascular events prior to enrollment in the study.  All patients were followed up for three years.

The incidence of cardiovascular events and renal impairment was found significantly higher in those who suffered NAFLD than those who did not have fatty liver.  Also the glomerular filtration rate in patients NAFLD was significantly lower.

Statistical analysis shows that "NAFLD was the best predictor for cardiovascular and renal impairment." (David Liu, PHD)