Different body composition in muscle and fat tissue, predisposition to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and high prevalence of the variant allele rs738409 of PNPLA3 (a MASLD risk factor present in up to 19% of the Chinese population) support the notion that Asian MASLD, particularly the non-obese form, may have a distinct pathophysiology [7,8]. The gene discussed is PNPLA3; the disease is type 2 diabetes mellitus.