Moreover, in a large exome-wide association study of plasma lipids of > 300,000 individuals by Liu et al., genetic variants of PNPLA3 and TM6SF2 were not only strongly associated with fatty liver and progression to NASH, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, but also with lower blood triglycerides, lower LDL-cholesterol concentrations, and protection from coronary artery disease [72]. This evidence concerns the gene PNPLA3 and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.