Sugar intake is high among youth in Los Angeles, and accounts for nearly half of all daily carbohydrate intake and 25 percent of energy intake. However, because the link between high sugar diets and liver fat accumulation was only evident among children who had the GG variant, the findings could have important implications for treating NAFLD, Davis said.

"Specific dietary interventions based on the genetic predisposition may lead to more effective therapeutic outcomes in children with fatty liver disease," she said. "I think the studies really highlight the need to test such diet and genotyping interventions."

The work done by Dr. Goran and his team is at the interface of personalized and community health, said D. Brent Polk, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics and director of the Saban Research Institute at the Keck School of Medicine and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

"While we know that this genetic variant is overrepresented in Hispanic people, the findings help us identify individuals with increased susceptibility to worse disease," he said. "Now we can ask does early intervention in this group prevent their progression to the complications of fatty liver disease?"

Source: University of Southern California