Research
Mixed
Genetic polymorphisms in PNPLA3 (rs738409) and TM6SF2 (rs58542926) are associated with an increased risk of advanced fibrosis in NAFLD patients, independent of metabolic variables.
If you have a family history of fatty liver or known genetic variants like PNPLA3, you may be at higher risk for fibrosis. This means you should be more vigilant about managing metabolic health (weight, diabetes, blood pressure) as these factors interact with your genetics to drive progression.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
One study of over 1000 individuals with biopsy proven NAFLD, demonstrated these SNPs were associated with a 40% to 88% increased risk for advanced (F2-4) fibrosis after adjustment for age, sex, and metabolic variables.
Why this rating
Based on genome-wide association studies and large cohort studies.
Source
The Natural Course of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Luis Calzadilla Bertot et al. · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 2016
DOI 10.3390/ijms17050774
narrative_reviewCited 625×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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- In patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), the presence and severity of liver fibrosis, rather than the presence of steatohepatitis (NASH) itself, is the primary predictor of liver-related and overall mortality.Good
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in NAFLD patients with advanced fibrosis, independent of liver-related mortality.Good
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