Question

Why does lipodystrophy strain the liver more than other organs in the body?

Answer 1

Lipodystrophy is a condition in which the amount and/or distribution of adipose tissue (fat tissue) in the body is abnormal. Different types of lipodystrophy cause loss or re-distribution of fat tissue in different patterns. Adipose tissue is very important because it stores the energy (calories) that we consume as triglyceride (a type of fat). It makes hormones which help control how much you eat and how your body burns energy. In people with lipodystrophy the ability of adipose tissue to store energy from the diet as a type of fat called triglyceride is reduced involving either the entire body or just certain areas like arms and legs. The body must find another organ in which to store this fat. The storage of fat in other organs is known as ‘ectopic fat’. The liver, muscle and pancreas are the organs that most often store ectopic fat. Among them liver is the organ that most often store of fat. Ectopic fat may cause several metabolic complications including diabetes with severe insulin resistance (reduced ability to respond to insulin), high blood triglyceride-levels, fatty liver disease and liver inflammation, and subfertility. These complications impact on the health of those affected. The severity of these metabolic problems are often related to the extent of fat loss. Lipodystrophy illustrates the critical role of adipose tissue in maintenance of metabolic homeostasis (energy balance in the body).