Author information

¹Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.

²Department of Pediatrics, Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.

³Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA.

⁴Departments of Population & Public Health Sciences and Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Abstract

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most common paediatric liver disease. Latinos have high MASLD risk due to 50% prevalence of GG genotype of PNPLA3. Our primary aim was to evaluate associations between dietary carbohydrates/sugars and liver stiffness in Latino adolescents with obesity. Our secondary aim was to examine effect modification by (a) PNPLA3 genotype or (b) liver disease severity. Data were obtained from 114 Latino adolescents with obesity involved in two prior studies. No associations were seen between dietary carbohydrates/sugars and liver stiffness in the group as a whole. In subjects with GG genotype of PNPLA3, total sugar, fructose, sucrose, and glucose were associated with liver stiffness. Positive relationships between carbohydrate, total sugar, and sucrose and liver stiffness were stronger in those with MASLD and fibrosis compared to those with healthy livers and MASLD without fibrosis.