BACKGROUND: The melanocortin 4 receptor gene (MC4R) codes the receptor expressed in the hypothalamus and involved in the regulation of body mass and height. Data on the association of polymorphism MC4R rs17782313 with anthropometric parameters are contradictory. AIMS: to study the influence of the carrier of polymorphism MC4R rs17782313 on the anthropometric parameters in adolescents of different ethnic groups: caucasians and mongoloids living in the Siberia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 179 caucasian adolescents (by the example of russians, average age is 15.07 1.25 years) and 182 mongoloid adolescents (by the example of the buryats, the average age is 14.71 1.28 years), 89 and 92 adolescents were included in groups with overweight and obesity (standard deviation (SDS) BMI 1), in the control groups (SDS BMI from -1 to + 1) also 90 and 90 adolescents were included in the control groups (SDS BMI from -1 to + 1) (russian and buryat, respectively). Anthropometric measurements included height, weight with the calculation of BMI and SDS BMI, WC (waist circumference), HC (hip circumference ). Genotyping was performed by real-time PCR. Statistical analysis of the results of the study was carried out using the software STATISTICA 8.0. RESULTS: We showed no association of the risky C-allele of polymorphism rs17782313 with overweight and obesity in russian adolescents (22.5% vs 17.9% OR = 1.34 (p 0.05)) and in the buryat (29.8% vs 24.1%, OR = 1.43 (p 0.05)). It was revealed that adolescent carriers of the C-allele in buryat showed higher growth in both groups (control: 162.19 cm vs 157.26 cm (p = 0.019)), the main group: 165.24 cm vs 164.91 cm (p = 0.041)), as well as weight gain in the control group (52.29 kg vs 48.05 kg (p = 0.028)). CONCLUSIONS: Thus, the study revealed the relationship of MC4R rs17782313 polymorphism with height and weight in adolescents of buryat ethnic group.