In a large exome-wide association study of plasma lipids involving over 300,000 participants, the genetic variants located in PNPLA3 at the 148Met allele and in TM6SF2 at the 167Lys allele exhibited strong associations not only with liver steatosis and progression to NASH, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, but were also correlated with T2DM, low blood TG, low LDL cholesterol concentration, and protection against coronary artery disease [116]. Here, PNPLA3 is linked to fatty liver disease.