To test for an association of the PNPLA3 rs738409 variant with liver damage in very young children, we analyzed a pediatric cohort of 142 patients aged between 5 and 9 years (described in detail in [9]) for the impact of this genetic risk factor on subclinical liver damage and NAFLD. Here, PNPLA3 is linked to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.