Higher Internal Fat-Making Activity Linked to Worse Heart and Kidney Outcomes After Heart Attack
This study looked at over 4,300 people who had previously had a heart attack, tracking a blood marker called the lipogenic index, which reflects how much fat the body is making on its own from carbohydrates (a process called de novo lipogenesis, or DNL).
People with the highest levels of this marker had faster declines in kidney function over time, were more likely to have fatty liver disease, and had a higher risk of dying from cardiovascular causes over both 3 years and 15 years of follow-up compared to those with the lowest levels.
The researchers also looked at whether eating more complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides) instead of sugars was linked to better outcomes, and found that higher polysaccharide intake was associated with lower long-term cardiovascular mortality risk. However, this benefit did not appear to work through changes in the body’s internal fat-making activity — the lipogenic index did not explain that connection.
What this means for you
For people who have already had a heart attack, this research suggests that how much fat the body makes internally from carbohydrates may be tied to kidney health, fatty liver, and heart-related survival — but it doesn’t establish cause and effect, and it doesn’t tell us how to change this marker through diet or supplements. Swapping refined sugars for more complex carbohydrates was linked to better long-term outcomes through some other pathway, not through this fat-making marker.
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Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases : NMCD · 2026-09-08 · DOI: 10.1016/j.numecd.2026.104997
Read the original source ↗This summary is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always talk to your healthcare provider before making changes to your supplement routine.