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Associations between a common variant near the MC4R gene and serum triglyceride levels in an obese pediatric cohort

  • Endocrine Genetics/Epigenetics
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Abstract

Polymorphisms near the MC4R gene may be related to an increased risk for obesity, but studies of variations in this gene and its relation to cardiometabolic profiles and food intake are scarce and controversial. The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of the variants rs12970134 and rs17782313 near the MC4R gene in food intake, binge eating (BE) behavior, anthropometric parameters, body composition, metabolic profile, and cardiometabolic risk factors in obese children and adolescents. This is a cross-sectional study that included obese children and adolescents. We evaluated anthropometric, metabolic parameters and cardiometabolic risk factors, including hypertension, impaired fasting glucose, hypertriglyceridemia, and low HDL-cholesterol. BE was assessed through the BE scale, and a 24-h recall was used to evaluate total caloric intake and percentage of macronutrients and types of dietary fat. The MC4R variants rs12970134 and rs17782313 were genotyped using TaqMan assay. To assess the magnitude of risk, a logistic regression adjusted for Z-BMI, age, and gender was performed, adopting the significance level of 0.05. The study included 518 subjects (52.1 % girls, 12.7 ± 2.7 years old, Z-BMI = 3.24 ± 0.57). Carriers of the variant rs17782313 exhibit increased triglyceride levels (108 ± 48 vs. 119 ± 54, p = 0.034) and an increased risk of hypertriglyceridemia (OR 1.985, 95 % CI 1.288–3.057, p = 0.002). There was no association of the SNP rs12970134 with clinical, metabolic, or nutritional parameters. The variant rs12970134 and rs17782313 did not influence food intake or the presence of BE. The variant rs17782313 is associated with an increased risk of hypertriglyceridemia in obese children and adolescents.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) Grants 2011/23340-6 and 2011/05320-8. There are not any competing financial interests in relation to the work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. League of Childhood Obesity, Service of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, Hospital das Clinicas, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Dr. Eneas de Carvalho Aguiar, 255, 7º andar, sala 7037, Sao Paulo, SP, 05403-000, Brazil

    Ariana Ester Fernandes, Maria Edna de Melo, Clarissa Tamie Hiwatashi Fujiwara, Marina Brosso Pioltine, Cintia Cercato, Alfredo Halpern & Marcio C. Mancini

  2. Laboratory of Carbohydrates and Radioimmunoassay/LIM 18, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Dr. Arnaldo, 455, Sao Paulo, SP, 01246-903, Brazil

    Ariana Ester Fernandes, Maria Edna de Melo, Clarissa Tamie Hiwatashi Fujiwara, Marina Brosso Pioltine, Aritânia Santos & Marcio C. Mancini

  3. Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Sergio Russo Matioli

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  1. Ariana Ester Fernandes
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  2. Maria Edna de Melo
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Correspondence to Ariana Ester Fernandes.

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Fernandes, A.E., de Melo, M.E., Fujiwara, C.T.H. et al. Associations between a common variant near the MC4R gene and serum triglyceride levels in an obese pediatric cohort. Endocrine 49, 653–658 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-015-0616-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-015-0616-8

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