Association of genetic polymorphisms in FTO with Overweight/Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes in the Lebanese Population

Abstract

Background and aims: Overweight and obesity are a worldwide threat to health and quality of life as they increase the risk of many chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Several studies have reported associations between the fat-mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) variants, rs1421085 and rs17818499, and overweight/obesity as well as T2DM. However, this association has not yet been studied among the Lebanese population. The present study therefore aimed to investigate the association between the aforementioned FTO gene polymorphisms, overweight/obesity and the risk of T2DM in Lebanese adults. Methods: Secondary cross-sectional retrospective data analysis was conducted, involving 723 Lebanese participants aged ≥ 18 years old. Genotypic data for the FTO rs1421085 and rs17817449 variants as clinical and demographic information were available. Binary logistic regressions were used to examine the relationship between FTO variants and body mass index (BMI) as well as T2DM. Results: Rs17817499 showed a significant association with BMI (p=0.012), while rs1421085 did not (p=0.375). Results from the logistic regression analyses showed that the rs17817499-GG, rs17817499-GT and rs1421085-CT genotypes were significantly associated with overweight/obesity after adjusting for age, gender and T2DM (p=0.01, 0.0001, and 0.003 respectively), with the highest risk observed among FTO rs17817499-GG carriers. No significant association was observed between rs17817499 and rs1421085 and T2DM. Conclusion: The rs17817499 variant of the FTO gene was highly associated with overweight and obesity in the Lebanese population. On the other hand, the studied FTO variants were not significantly associated with T2DM. The present results, reported for the first time in Lebanon, provide insights about risk factors and chronic disease prevention for Middle Eastern populations.