Identification and Association of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms of the FTO Gene with Indicators of Overweight and Obesity in a Young Mexican Population

Abstract

(1) Background: obesity is a global public health problem; various factors have been associated with this disease, and genetic factors play a very important role. Previous studies in multiple populations have associated a gene with fat mass and obesity (FTO). Thus, the present work aims to identify and determine associations between genetic variants of FTO with indicators of overweight and obesity in the Mexican population. (2) Methods: a total of 638 subjects were evaluated to compile data on body mass index (BMI), the percentage of body fat (%BF), the waist circumference (WC), the serum levels of triglycerides (TG), and food consumption. A total of 175 genetic variants in the FTO gene were sampled by a microarray in the evaluated population, followed by association statistical analyses and comparisons of means. (3) Results: a total of 34 genetic variants were associated with any of the 6 indicators of overweight and obesity, but only 15 showed mean differences using the recessive model after the Bonferroni correction. The present study shows a wide evaluation of FTO genetic variants associated with a classic indicator of overweight and obesity, which highlights the importance of genetic analyses in the study of obesity.

The rs1477196 SNP of the FTO Gene is Associated with Primary Knee Osteoarthritis in a Female Population from Northern Mexico

“…Although the mechanism by which obesity develops is complex, FTO SNPs have been associated with increased BMI 13 . Furthermore, in the Mexican population, some variants of the FTO gene have been associated with indicators of obesity 8 .…”

“…Obesity is a severe public health problem and has been identified as a risk factor in the pathogenesis of OA [5][6][7] . In adult and pediatric Latin populations, particularly among Mexican people, the highest frequencies of obesity worldwide have been observed 8 . Obesity is a risk factor for OA not only through the action of mechanical forces that overload the joints but also due to a variety of metabolically active adipokines that play a role as mediators of inflammation 9,10 .…”

“…However, its exact function has not yet been deciphered 14 , particularly the rs9939609, rs9930506, rs1421085, rs8050136, rs1121980, and rs17817449 SNPs 13 . In addition, in the Mexican population, up to 15 variants of the FTO gene have been associated with indicators of overweight and obesity in a recessive genetic model 8 . This gene encodes a protein expressed in the hypothalamus that is involved in energy balance and adipose tissue.…”