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Contribution of several candidate gene polymorphisms in the determination of adiposity changes: results from the Québec Family Study

International Journal of Obesity volume 31, pages 891–899 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Background:

Several candidate genes have been associated with obesity, but very few studies have tested more than one gene simultaneously.

Methods:

In this study, 15 polymorphisms in 10 candidate genes of obesity were tested for association with changes in adiposity measured over a period of 6–10 years in a maximum of 332 adult subjects with a wide range of adiposity (17.5<body mass index (BMI)<55.6 kg/m2) from the Québec Family Study. Stepwise regression models were used to identify the combination of genes explaining changes in adiposity after adjustment for age (initial value), gender, initial value of the adiposity variable and duration of follow-up. Analyses were carried out in the whole sample and repeated while stratifying on age (<40 and ⩾40 years).

Results:

In the whole sample, the variance in age-related adiposity changes explained by the candidate gene polymorphisms ranged from 3.1% (BMI, P<0.05) to 8.5% (fat mass (FM), P⩽0.0005). The genes retained in the prediction model for changes in FM were leptin (P⩽0.05), guanine nucleotide binding protein β3 (P⩽0.05), adrenergic receptor β3 (P⩽0.05), neuromedin β (P⩽0.05) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ2 (P⩽0.10). The effects of the genes were significant in both age groups, but the genes contributing to adiposity changes were different and their effects were stronger in the younger than in the older age group.

Conclusion:

This study suggests that models including genetic information from several candidate gene polymorphisms can significantly contribute to the changes in adiposity over time, that different genes may act at different ages and that genetic information could be useful for the identification of individuals at high risk for gaining body fat over time.

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Acknowledgements

This Quebec Family Study was supported over the years by the Medical Research Council of Canada (Canadian Institutes of Health Research). We thank all those who have contributed to QFS over the last 25 years. This work was supported in part by Canadian Institutes of Health Research new Emerging Team in obesity (Grant OHN-63276). Luigi Bouchard is partly supported by the Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec, Claude Bouchard is partly funded by the George A Bray Chair in Nutrition and Angelo Tremblay is funded in part by the Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity, Nutrition and Energy Balance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Kinesiology, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Ste-Foy, Québec, Canada

    L Bouchard, A Tremblay & L Pérusse

  2. Human Genomics Laboratory, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

    C Bouchard

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  1. L Bouchard
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Correspondence to L Pérusse.

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Bouchard, L., Tremblay, A., Bouchard, C. et al. Contribution of several candidate gene polymorphisms in the determination of adiposity changes: results from the Québec Family Study. Int J Obes 31, 891–899 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0803542

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