Accordingly, the cold-exposed mice exhibited an increased hepatic gene expression of the FA transporter Cd36 (Additional File 1, Supplementary Fig. S1e) and hepatic steatosis, as shown by neutral lipid staining (Fig. 1i, j) and quantification of intracellular TG content (Fig. 1k), which could explain the increased liver weight as a consequence of metabolic adaptation to increased food intake. Here, CD36 is linked to fatty liver disease.