Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain a leading cause of death worldwide. Among the major risk factors for CVD, obesity and diabetes mellitus have received considerable attention in terms of public policy and awareness. However, the emerging prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), as the most common liver and metabolic disease and a cause of CVD, has been largely overlooked. Currently, the number of individuals with NAFLD is greater than the total number of individuals with diabetes mellitus and obesity. Epidemiological studies have established a strong correlation between NAFLD and an increased risk of CVD and CVD-associated events. Although debate continues over the causal relationship between NAFLD and CVD, many mechanistic and longitudinal studies have indicated that NAFLD is one of the major driving forces for CVD and should be recognized as an independent risk factor for CVD apart from other metabolic disorders. In this review, we summarize the clinical evidence that supports NAFLD as a risk factor for CVD epidemics and discuss major mechanistic insights regarding the acceleration of CVD in the setting of NAFLD. Finally, we address the potential treatments for NAFLD and their potential impact on CVD.

中文翻译：

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非酒精性脂肪肝疾病大流行加剧了心血管疾病的兴起。

心血管疾病（CVD）仍然是全球范围内的主要死亡原因。在心血管疾病的主要危险因素中，肥胖症和糖尿病在公共政策和意识方面受到了广泛关注。然而，非酒精性脂肪肝疾病（NAFLD）作为最常见的肝脏和代谢性疾病以及CVD的病因，正在逐渐流行。当前，患有NAFLD的个体的数量大于患有糖尿病和肥胖症的个体的总数。流行病学研究已建立了NAFLD与CVD和CVD相关事件风险增加之间的强相关性。尽管关于NAFLD与CVD之间因果关系的争论仍在继续，许多机械和纵向研究表明，NAFLD是CVD的主要驱动力之一，除其他代谢性疾病外，NAFLD应被认为是CVD的独立危险因素。在这篇综述中，我们总结了支持NAFLD作为CVD流行病危险因素的临床证据，并讨论了在NAFLD情况下有关CVD加速的主要机理。最后，我们讨论了NAFLD的潜在治疗方法及其对CVD的潜在影响。