Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in obese adolescents: the role of genetic polymorphisms

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has recently become an emerging health problem worldwide (1). The pathogenetic mechanisms involved in the development and progression of NAFLD are due to genetic predisposition that expresses a metabolic profile associated with high energy food intake (2). The most accurate estimate of the worldwide prevalence of NAFLD is 24–25% of the general population, and ranges from 5–18% in Asia to 20–30% in the Western countries (1,3).