Interactions between physical activity and variants of the genes encoding uncoupling proteins −2 and −3 in relation to body weight changes during a 10-y follow-up

• Published in: International Journal of Obesity 2005-01, Vol.29 (1), p.93-99
• Main Authors: Berentzen, T, Dalgaard, L T, Petersen, L, Pedersen, O, Sørensen, T I A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3' Untranslated Regions; Adolescent; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Body fat; Body Mass Index; Body weight; Carrier Proteins - genetics; Case-Control Studies; Cohort Studies; Energy efficiency; Epidemiology; Exercise; Genes; Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; Health surveys; Humans; Influence; Internal Medicine; Ion Channels; Leisure Activities; Longitudinal studies; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Membrane Transport Proteins - genetics; Metabolic Diseases; Mitochondrial Proteins - genetics; Motor Activity - physiology; Obesity; Obesity - genetics; Obesity - physiopathology; Polymorphism; Polymorphism, Genetic; Preventive medicine; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Proteins; Public Health; Uncoupling Protein 2; Uncoupling Protein 3
• ISSN: 0307-0565; 1476-5497
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0802841

OBJECTIVE: To examine interactions between physical activity and possibly functional variants of the genes encoding uncoupling proteins −2 and −3 in relation to body weight change. We hypothesize that physical inactivity acts synergistically with a 45 bp insertion variant in the 3′untranslated region (3′UTR) of the UCP2 -gene and with a t-allele of codon −55 in the promoter of the UCP3 -gene in relation to subsequent weight change. DESIGN: Population-based longitudinal study of cohorts of juvenile obese and nonobese men, who were identified at the mandatory draft board examination in Copenhagen and adjacent regions at a median age of 19 y in 1943–77 and later examined at general health surveys in 1981–83 and 1991–93. The juvenile obese cohort included 568 men who at the draft board had a BMI ≥31 kg/m 2 and the cohort of controls included 717 randomly selected draftees. MEASUREMENTS: Height and weight were measured, and information about physical activity was collected from a self-administered questionnaire. The genotyping of the polymorphisms was performed using RFLP techniques. The main outcome measure was change in BMI during the 10-y follow-up period. Additional outcome measures were obesity, waist circumference and body fat mass index measured at follow-up. RESULTS: Physical activity, the 3′UTR insertion polymorphism and the −55 c/t polymorphism were not consistently associated with changes in BMI, and there were no evidence for interactions between the UCP -variants and physical activity in relation to changes in BMI. No evidence for interaction between the UCP -variants and physical activity was found in relation to the additional obesity measures. CONCLUSION: This study does not support that interactions between physical activity and variants in the UCP2 - or UCP3 -gene are major determinants of subsequent weight changes in Danish Caucasian men.