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A Common Variant in the FTO Gene Is Associated with Body Mass Index and Predisposes to Childhood and Adult Obesity

Timothy M. Frayling, Nicholas J. Timpson, Michael N. Weedon, Eleftheria Zeggini, Rachel M. Freathy, Cecilia M. Lindgren, John R. B. Perry, Katherine S. Elliott, Hana Lango Allen, Nigel W. Rayner, Beverley M. Shields, Lorna W. Harries, Jeffrey C. Barrett, Sian Ellard, Christopher J. Groves, Bridget Knight, Ann‐Marie Patch, Andrew R. Ness, Shah Ebrahim, Debbie A. Lawlor, Susan M. Ring, Yoav Ben‐Shlomo, Marjo‐Riitta Järvelin, Ulla Sovio, Amanda J. Bennett, David Melzer, Luigi Ferrucci, Ruth J. F. Loos, Inês Barroso, Nicholas J. Wareham, Fredrik Karpe, Katharine R. Owen, Lon R. Cardon, Mark Walker, G. A. Hitman, Colin N. A. Palmer, Alex S. F. Doney, Andrew D. Morris, George Davey Smith, Andrew T. Hattersley, Mark I. McCarthy

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Abstract

Obesity is a serious international health problem that increases the risk of several common diseases. The genetic factors predisposing to obesity are poorly understood. A genome-wide search for type 2 diabetes-susceptibility genes identified a common variant in the FTO (fat mass and obesity associated) gene that predisposes to diabetes through an effect on body mass index (BMI). An additive association of the variant with BMI was replicated in 13 cohorts with 38,759 participants. The 16% of adults who are homozygous for the risk allele weighed about 3 kilograms more and had 1.67-fold increased odds of obesity when compared with those not inheriting a risk allele. This association was observed from age 7 years upward and reflects a specific increase in fat mass.

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What this paper is about

Obesity is a serious international health problem that increases the risk of several common diseases. The genetic factors predisposing to obesity are poorly understood. A genome-wide search for type 2 diabetes-susceptibility genes identified a common variant in the FTO (fat mass and obesity associated) gene that predisposes to diabetes through an effect on body mass index (BMI). An additive association of the variant with BMI was replicated in 13 cohorts with 38,759 participants. The 16% of adults who are homozygous for the risk allele weighed about 3 kilograms more and had 1.67-fold increased odds of obesity when compared with those not inheriting a risk allele. This association was observed from age 7 years upward and reflects a specific increase in fat mass.

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Available abstract

Obesity is a serious international health problem that increases the risk of several common diseases. The genetic factors predisposing to obesity are poorly understood. A genome-wide search for type 2 diabetes-susceptibility genes identified a common variant in the FTO (fat mass and obesity associated) gene that predisposes to diabetes through an effect on body mass index (BMI). An additive association of the variant with BMI was replicated in 13 cohorts with 38,759 participants. The 16% of adults who are homozygous for the risk allele weighed about 3 kilograms more and had 1.67-fold increased odds of obesity when compared with those not inheriting a risk allele. This association was observed from age 7 years upward and reflects a specific increase in fat mass.

Key concepts: Obesity, Body mass index, FTO gene, Odds ratio, Allele, Childhood obesity, Diabetes mellitus, Medicine

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A Common Variant in the FTO Gene Is Associated with Body Mass Index and Predisposes to Childhood and Adult Obesity — Research Paper | ScholarLens