Given that plasma RBP4 levels correlated positively with hepatic fat [8] and serum TG levels [31,32,44], and prominent lipid vacuoles were noted in the RBP4-positive hepatocytes of the HCV core transgenic mice, it is convincible that simple steatosis with concurrent hypertriglycemia would lead to increase in RBP4 levels, regardless of HCV infection. Here, RBP4 is linked to steatosis.