MRI scans and DNA data uncover new genetic links to fatty liver disease

A Karolinska Institutet team analyzed MRI liver fat measurements and genome-wide data from 71,488 individuals of European descent in the UK Biobank, identifying 60 independent genetic loci associated with liver triglyceride content, 31 of them previously unreported. Common variants explain about 25% of individual variation. A genetic risk score built from the findings shows high-risk individuals are more prone to fatty liver disease and liver cancer. Results were published in Nature Genetics (DOI: 10.1038/s41588-026-02794-6); the authors note validation in multiple ancestries is needed.