Effect of dietary consumption as a modifier on the association between FTO gene variants and excess body weight in children from an admixed population in Brazil: the Social Changes, Asthma and Allergy in Latin America (SCAALA) cohort study

• Published in: British journal of nutrition 2017-06, Vol.117 (11), p.1503-1510
• Main Authors: Vilella, Marília, Nunes de Oliveira Costa, Gustavo, Lima Barreto, Maurício, Alexandrina Figueredo, Camila, Maria Alcantara-Neves, Neuza, Cunha Rodrigues, Laura, Maria Alvim de Matos, Sheila, Leovigildo Fiaccone, Rosemeire, Oliveira, Pablo, Rocha, Aline, de Cássia Ribeiro-Silva, Rita
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alleles; Allergies; Alpha-Ketoglutarate-Dependent Dioxygenase FTO - genetics; Amino acids; Anthropometry; Asthma; Body fat; Body Weight; Brazil; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; Cohort analysis; Continental Population Groups; Cross-Sectional Studies; Developmental Biology; Diet; Diet Surveys; Dietary intake; Energy Intake; Feeding Behavior; Female; Food; Fto gene; Gene expression; Gene-Environment Interaction; Genomes; Genotype; Humans; Lifestyles; Logistic Models; Male; Obesity; Obesity - genetics; Overweight; Overweight - genetics; Pediatric Obesity - genetics; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Polyunsaturated fatty acids; Population; Population studies; Populations; Proteins; Quality control; Regression analysis; Risk; Single-nucleotide polymorphism; Weight control
• ISSN: 0007-1145; 1475-2662
• DOI: 10.1017/S0007114517001386

Previous studies have shown associations of variants of the FTO gene with body weight, but none of these have involved Latin American populations with a high level of miscegenation, as is seen in the north-eastern Brazilian population. This study evaluated the association between SNP in the FTO gene and excess weight in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. In addition, the effect of diet as a modifier on this association was also investigated. This cross-sectional study included 1191 participants aged 4–11 years, who were genotyped for 400 variants of the FTO gene. Direct anthropometric measures were made and dietary data were obtained by 24-h food recall. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess the associations of interest. Overall, 11·2 % of the individuals included in the study were overweight/obese. Interactions were identified between the percentage energy intake from proteins and obesity risk linked to the rs62048379 SNP (P interaction=0·01) and also between fat intake (PUFA:SFA ratio) and obesity risk linked to the rs62048379 SNP (P interaction=0·01). The T allele for the variant rs62048379 was positively associated with overweight/obesity in individuals whose percentage energy intake from protein was above the median (OR 2·00; 95 % CI 1·05, 3·82). The rs62048379 SNP was also associated with overweight/obesity in individuals whose PUFA:SFA ratio was below the median (OR 1·63; 95 % CI 1·05, 2·55). The association between FTO gene variants and excess body weight can be modulated by dietary characteristics, particularly by fatty acid distribution and dietary protein intake in children.