Is fatty pancreas a risk factor of diabetes mellitus and pancreatic cancer?

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K16978
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 52010:General internal medicine-related
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Yamazaki Hajime 京都大学, 医学研究科, 特定講師 (90836032)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 脂肪膵 / 異所性脂肪 / 膵臓 / 糖尿病 / 膵臓癌

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The aim of this study was to investigate whether fatty pancreas is a risk factor for diabetes mellitus or pancreatic cancer. In a cohort study among individuals who underwent health examinations with computed tomography (735 obese individuals and 1478 non-obese individuals), we showed that fatty pancreas was a risk factor for diabetes mellitus only in non-obese individuals. We also conducted a case-control study among 38 patients who underwent computed tomography for any reason prior to pancreatic cancer diagnosis and 152 age- and sex-matched non-pancreatic cancer patients, and there was no apparent association between fatty pancreas and pancreatic cancer. Moreover, we published a review regarding fatty pancreas with a German research group.

Free Research Field

異所性脂肪に関する臨床疫学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

非肥満者における、糖尿病発症の高危険群の同定や予防法の確立が課題とされている。本研究から、脂肪膵が非肥満者における糖尿病発症の新たな危険因子であることが明らかになり、非肥満者における糖尿病予防のために、脂肪膵に着目する重要性を示した。脂肪膵は生活習慣介入で改善可能であり、非肥満者でも脂肪膵を有する場合には、生活習慣に介入することで糖尿病の発症者を減少できる可能性を示唆する結果であり、社会的意義が大きいと思われる。