Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming the leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide, paralleling the global epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes (1). In addition to the well-established metabolic and environmental risk factors, a body of evidence supports genetic predisposition as a pivotal driver of NAFLD development and progression to its life-threatening complications, namely cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. To date, several genetic loci have been identified contributing to NAFLD.
