MONDAY, Jan. 12, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) exposure is associated with an increased risk for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in adolescence, according to a study published in the Jan. 1 issue of Environmental Research.
Shiwen Li, Ph.D., from the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles, and colleagues analyzed data from the Study of Latino Adolescents at Risk of Type 2 Diabetes, which followed 162 adolescents aged 8 to 13 years, and the Metabolic and Asthma Incidence Research study, which included 122 young adults aged 17 to 23 years. Liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry was used to measure eight PFAS. The associations between PFAS and MASLD, defined as hepatic fat fraction >5.5 percent on magnetic resonance imaging and one or more cardiometabolic risk factors, were estimated.
The researchers found that each doubling in plasma perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was associated with increased odds of MASLD among adolescents (odds ratio, 2.69), and the association strengthened with increasing age (PFOA x age: odds ratio, 1.45). Among older adolescents and those with PNPLA3 risk allele, risk was further elevated. Overall associations were not significant among young adults, but the risk for MASLD was higher among smokers with elevated perfluorodecanoic acid, perfluoroheptane sulfonic acid, and perfluorononanoic acid levels.
"The two studies show that PFAS exposures not only disrupt liver biology but also translate into real liver disease risk in youth," coauthor Lida Chatzi, also from the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, said in a statement. "Adolescence seems to be a critical window of susceptibility, suggesting PFAS exposure may matter most when the liver is still developing."
Two authors have served as expert consultants for plaintiffs in litigation related to PFAS-contaminated drinking water.