Abstract
Metabolic Disease Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is estimated to affect 20% of the world's population. NAFLD begins with an abnormal buildup of fat in the liver that is “clinically silent.” In a subset of individuals, NAFLD progresses to liver inflammation, cirrhosis, and cancer. Identifying which individuals will progress is a major goal of current research. Stender et al. take a step toward this goal by studying gene-environment interactions. They find that high BMI (body mass index), a well-known risk factor for NAFLD, amplifies the effects of certain genetic risk factors. Obese individuals carrying a specific allele of the PNPLA3 gene, for example, have nearly a sixfold greater risk of developing cirrhosis than obese individuals carrying a different allele. Nat. Genet. 10.1038/ng.3855 (2017).
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