Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in lean individuals in the United States.

The presence of hepatic steatosis in individuals without a known cause of chronic liver disease, including excessive alcohol consumption, is the hallmark of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Although NAFLD is usually associated with obesity, nonobese patients can also present with NAFLD ("lean NAFLD"). Our objective was to determine factors independently associated with lean NAFLD in the United States population.