Genetic variants influencing liver fat in normal-weight individuals of European ancestry.

ABSTRACT:

Background & aims

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) occurs across a wide spectrum of body weights, yet the genetic determinants underlying hepatic steatosis in individuals with normal BMI remain underexplored. This study aimed to identify genetic variants associated with liver fat fraction in normal-weight individuals.

Methods

We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using magnetic resonance imaging-proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) data from 10,918 normal-weight participants (BMI <25 kg/m²) of European ancestry in the UK Biobank. Hepatic steatosis and liver fat content were assessed using both case-control (CC; 815 cases with MRI-PDFF ≥5% vs. 10,103 controls with MRI-PDFF <5%) and quantitative trait (QT; N = 1

SUBMITTER: Piras IS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12270618 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature