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  • Pediatric Short Communication
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Association between the FTO rs9939609 polymorphism and leptin in European adolescents: a possible link with energy balance control. The HELENA study

International Journal of Obesity volume 35, pages 66–71 (2011)Cite this article

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A Corrigendum to this article was published on 14 June 2011

Abstract

We examined the association between the FTO rs9939609 polymorphism and serum leptin concentrations in adolescents. The FTO rs9939609 polymorphism was genotyped, and fasting serum leptin and insulin were measured in 655 European adolescents (365 females) aged 14.6±1.2 years. We measured weight, height, triceps and subscapular skinfolds and waist circumference, and body fat percentage was calculated. Sex, pubertal status, center, physical activity (accelerometry), total or central adiposity and serum insulin concentrations were entered as confounders in the analyses. The minor A allele of the FTO rs9939609 was significantly associated with higher serum leptin concentrations independently of potential confounders including adiposity (+3.9 ng ml−1 per risk allele (95% confidence interval: 2.0, 5.9); adjusted P<0.001). These findings could link the FTO gene with serum leptin and consequently with the control of energy balance. Leptin could be a possible intermediary contributing to the association between the FTO rs9939609 polymorphism and adiposity.

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Acknowledgements

The HELENA study was carried out with the financial support of the European Community Sixth RTD Framework Programme (Contract FOODCT-2005-007034). This work was also partially supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Education (EX-2008-0641) and by the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research (FAS).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of the Basque Country, Vitoria, Spain

    I Labayen

  2. GENUD ‘Growth, Exercise, Nutrition and Development’ Research Group, Zaragoza, Spain

    I Labayen, G Bueno & L A Moreno

  3. Department of Biosciences and Nutrition at NOVUM, Unit for Preventive Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden

    I Labayen, J R Ruiz & F B Ortega

  4. Department of Medical Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain

    F B Ortega, D Jiménez-Pavón, M J Castillo & A Meirhaeghe

  5. INSERM U744, Institut Pasteur de Lille, University Lille Nord de France, Lille, France

    J Dalongeville

  6. Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    S De Henauw

  7. Department of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, University Polytechnic of Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    M González-Gross

  8. School of Health Sciences, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain

    G Bueno & L A Moreno

  9. Department of Pediatrics, University of Pecs, Pécs, Hungary

    D Molnar

  10. University of Crete School of Medicine, Greece

    A Kafatos

  11. Department of Metabolism and Nutrition, Immunonutrition Research Group, Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Madrid, Spain

    L E Díaz

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  1. I Labayen
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  2. J R Ruiz
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  8. M González-Gross
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  9. G Bueno
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  10. D Molnar
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  11. A Kafatos
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  12. L E Díaz
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  13. A Meirhaeghe
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  14. L A Moreno
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to I Labayen.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

See Appendix.

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The writing group takes sole responsibility for the content of this article. The content of this paper reflects only the authors’ views, and the European Community is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

Appendix

Appendix

The HELENA study

Co-ordinator: Luis A Moreno.

Core Group members: Luis A Moreno, Fréderic Gottrand, Stefaan De Henauw, Marcela González-Gross, Chantal Gilbert.

Steering Committee: Anthony Kafatos (President), Luis A Moreno, Christian Libersa, Stefaan De Henauw, Jackie Sánchez, Fréderic Gottrand, Mathilde Kersting, Michael Sjöstrom, Dénes Molnár, Marcela González-Gross, Jean Dallongeville, Chantal Gilbert, Gunnar Hall, Lea Maes, Luca Scalfi.

Project Manager: Pilar Meléndez.

1. Universidad de Zaragoza (Spain): Luis A Moreno, Jesús Fleta, José A Casajús, Gerardo Rodríguez, Concepción Tomás, María I Mesana, Germán Vicente-Rodríguez, Adoración Villarroya, Carlos M Gil, Ignacio Ara, Juan Revenga, Carmen Lachen, Juan Fernández Alvira, Gloria Bueno, Aurora Lázaro, Olga Bueno, Juan F León, Jesús Ma Garagorri, Manuel Bueno, Juan Pablo Rey López, Iris Iglesia, Paula Velasco, Silvia Bel.

2. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Spain): Ascensión Marcos, Julia Wärnberg, Esther Nova, Sonia Gómez, Esperanza Ligia Díaz, Javier Romeo, Ana Veses, Mari Angeles Puertollano, Belén Zapatera, Tamara Pozo.

3. Université de Lille 2 (France): Laurent Beghin, Christian Libersa, Frédéric Gottrand, Catalina Iliescu, Juliana Von Berlepsch.

4. Research Institute of Child Nutrition Dortmund, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn (Germany): Mathilde Kersting, Wolfgang Sichert-Hellert, Ellen Koeppen.

5. Pécsi Tudományegyetem (University of Pécs) (Hungary): Dénes Molnar, Eva Erhardt, Katalin Csernus, Katalin Török, Szilvia Bokor, Mrs Angster, Enikö Nagy, Orsolya Kovács, Judit Repásy.

6. University of Crete School of Medicine (Greece): Anthony Kafatos, Caroline Codrington, María Plada, Angeliki Papadaki, Katerina Sarri, Anna Viskadourou, Christos Hatzis, Michael Kiriakakis, George Tsibinos, Constantine Vardavas, Manolis Sbokos, Eva Protoyeraki, Maria Fasoulaki.

7. Institut für Ernährungs- und Lebensmittelwissenschaften – Ernährungphysiologie. Rheinische Friedrich Wilhelms Universität (Germany): Peter Stehle, Klaus Pietrzik, Marcela González-Gross, Christina Breidenassel, Andre Spinneker, Jasmin Al-Tahan, Miriam Segoviano, Anke Berchtold, Christine Bierschbach, Erika Blatzheim, Adelheid Schuch, Petra Pickert.

8. University of Granada (Spain): Manuel J Castillo, Ángel Gutiérrez, Francisco B Ortega, Jonatan R Ruiz, Enrique G Artero, Vanesa España-Romero, David Jiménez-Pavón, Palma Chillón.

9. Istituto Nazionalen di Ricerca per gli Alimenti e la Nutrizione (Italy): Davide Arcella, Giovina Catasta, Laura Censi, Donatella Ciarapica, Marika Ferrari, Cinzia Le Donne, Catherine Leclerq, Luciana Magrì, Giuseppe Maiani, Rafaela Piccinelli, Angela Polito, Raffaela Spada, Elisabetta Toti.

10. University of Napoli ‘Federico II’ Dept of Food Science (Italy): Luca Scalfi, Paola Vitaglione, Concetta Montagnese.

11. Ghent University (Belgium): Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij, Stefaan De Henauw, Tineke De Vriendt, Lea Maes, Christophe Matthys, Carine Vereecken, Mieke de Maeyer, Charlene Ottevaere

12. Medical University of Vienna (Austria): Kurt Widhalm, Katharina Phillipp, Sabine Dietrich, Birgit Kubelka Marion Boriss-Riedl.

13. Harokopio University (Greece): Yannis Manios, Eva Grammatikaki, Zoi Bouloubasi, Tina Louisa Cook, Sofia Eleutheriou, Orsalia Consta, George Moschonis, Ioanna Katsaroli, George Kraniou, Stalo Papoutsou, Despoina Keke, Ioanna Petraki, Elena Bellou, Sofia Tanagra, Kostalenia Kallianoti, Dionysia Argyropoulou, Katerina Kondaki, Stamatoula Tsikrika, Christos Karaiskos.

14. Institut Pasteur de Lille (France): Jean Dallongeville, Aline Meirhaeghe.

15. Karolinska Institutet (Sweden): Michael Sjöstrom, Patrick Bergman, María Hagströmer, Lena Hallström, Mårten Hallberg, Eric Poortvliet, Julia Wärnberg, Nico Rizzo, Linda Beckman, Anita Hurtig Wennlöf, Emma Patterson, Lydia Kwak, Lars Cernerud, Per Tillgren, Stefaan Sörensen.

16. Asociación de Investigación de la Industria Agroalimentaria (Spain): Jackie Sánchez-Molero, Elena Picó, Maite Navarro, Blanca Viadel, José Enrique Carreres, Gema Merino, Rosa Sanjuán, María Lorente, María José Sánchez, Sara Castelló.

17. Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Association (United Kingdom): Chantal Gilbert, Sarah Thomas, Elaine Allchurch, Peter Burguess.

18. SIK – Institutet foer Livsmedel och Bioteknik (Sweden): Gunnar Hall, Annika Astrom, Anna Sverkén, Agneta Broberg.

19. Meurice Recherche and Development asbl (Belgium): Annick Masson, Claire Lehoux, Pascal Brabant, Philippe Pate, Laurence Fontaine.

20. Campden and Chorleywood Food Development Institute (Hungary): Andras Sebok, Tunde Kuti, Adrienn Hegyi.

21. Productos Aditivos SA (Spain): Cristina Maldonado, Ana Llorente.

22. Cárnicas Serrano SL (Spain): Emilio García.

23. Cederroth International AB (Sweden): Holger von Fircks, Marianne Lilja Hallberg, Maria Messerer

24. Lantmännen Food R&D (Sweden): Mats Larsson, Helena Fredriksson, Viola Adamsson, Ingmar Börjesson.

25. European Food Information Council (Belgium): Laura Fernández, Laura Smillie, Josephine Wills.

26. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain): Marcela González-Gross, Agustín Meléndez, Pedro J Benito, Javier Calderón, David Jiménez-Pavón, Jara Valtueña, Paloma Navarro, Alejandro Urzanqui, Ulrike Albers, Raquel Pedrero, Juan José Gómez Lorente.

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Labayen, I., Ruiz, J., Ortega, F. et al. Association between the FTO rs9939609 polymorphism and leptin in European adolescents: a possible link with energy balance control. The HELENA study. Int J Obes 35, 66–71 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2010.219

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2010.219

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