APPROXIMATELY half of patients with Type 2 diabetes have fatty pancreas disease (FPD), a 2026 meta-analysis has found.
FPD and Endocrine Function
FPD has been increasingly recognised as a key contributor to the development of Type 2 diabetes.
Scientific attention towards the disease as an ectopic fat that could influence metabolic dysfunction has gained traction, following recent advances in abdominal imaging.
FPD has been associated with impaired endocrine and exocrine pancreatic function.
It affects around one in five, making it one of the most common pancreatic conditions worldwide, epidemiological data suggests.
Prevalence of FPD in Type 2 Diabetes
The meta-analysis included a total of 12 studies and more than 6,300 participants.
The overall prevalence of FPD in patients with Type 2 diabetes was around 54%.
This figure tended to be lower in Asian than in European studies and higher in smaller studies and in clinic or hospital-based environments.
FPD as a Metabolic Burden
FPD is a substantial yet potentially overlooked metabolic burden, researchers noted, calling for efforts to better define its role within the Type 2 diabetes phenotype.
Researchers also highlighted the importance of the development of strategies for preventing and monitoring FPD in patients with Type 2 diabetes.
Implications for Clinical Practice
The findings provide evidence that can inform clinical awareness, risk stratification, and public health strategies addressing FPD as an under recognised burden, researchers reported.
It was submitted that information regarding the prevalence of FPD in populations with Type 2 diabetes, together with known cardiometabolic risk factors, could assist healthcare professionals in identifying patients who would benefit from closer metabolic monitoring and those at risk of major pancreatic diseases.
Opportunistic evaluation of high intrapancreatic fat deposition in imaging that is already performed could help identify people with greater metabolic dysfunction, authors noted.
However, they also recognised that the current research landscape cannot provide evidence for the recommendation of routine screening for FPD.
References
Ahmad S et al. High prevalence of fatty pancreas disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2026;DOI:10.1016/j.diabres.2026.113149.
Petrov MS, Taylor R. Intra-pancreatic fat deposition: bringing hidden fat to the fore. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2022;19(3):153-168.
Wagner R et al. Metabolic implications of pancreatic fat accumulation. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2022;18(1):43-54.
Souza M et al. Prevalence, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of fatty pancreas disease: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2025;37(2):137-146.
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