Metabolite Erythritol in 24-H Urine Is Associated With Higher Intrahepatic Lipid Content: The Maastricht Study

The role of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) in the pathogenesis of intrahepatic lipid (IHL) accumulation has not been studied before in humans. Is the PPP, proxied by 24-h urinary erythritol, associated with IHL content at the population level? In the fully adjusted model, 24-h urinary erythritol levels were associated with higher IHL content. Furthermore, genetically predicted erythritol levels were not associated with liver fat, suggesting that erythritol per se is not responsible for the former observation. Findings of the current study suggest that 1) the PPP is associated with IHL content at the population level, and 2) erythritol could potentially serve as a urinary biomarker for IHL content.