It happens when fat builds up in the liver and is linked to conditions like obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and low levels of “good” cholesterol, known as HDL. These are high blood pressure, diabetes or pre-diabetes, and low HDL cholesterol. High blood pressure increases the risk of death by 40%, diabetes or pre-diabetes by 25%, and low HDL by 15%. The most surprising finding was that high blood pressure turned out to be even more dangerous than diabetes. Instead of treating all risk factors the same, doctors can now pay extra attention to high blood pressure, diabetes, and low HDL.