Short Allele of Serotonin Transporter Gene Promoter Is a Risk Factor for Obesity in Adolescents.

SOOKOIAN S; GEMMA C; GARCIA SI; FERNANDEZ GIANOTTI T; DIEUZEIDE G; ROUSSOS A; TONIETTI M; TRIFONE L; KANEVSKY D; GONZALEZ C; PIROLA CJ

Obesity

NAASO, The Obsity Society.

Año: 2007 vol. 15 p. 271 - 276

1071-7323

Obesity and hypertension are increasing medical problems in adolescents. Serotonin transporter (HTT) is involved in mood and eating disturbances. Encoded by the gene SLC6A4, the promoter shows functional insertion/deletion alleles: long (L) and short (S). Objective: Because individuals who are carriers for the short version are known to be at risk for higher levels of anxiety, we hypothesized that this variant may be associated with overweight. Design & Subjects: Data and blood samples were collected from 172 adolescents out of a cross-sectional, population-based study of 934 high school students. In order to replicate the findings, we also included 119 outpatients from the Nutrition & Diabetes Section of the Children’s County Hospital. Results: We found that the S allele was associated with overweight (BMI> 85th percentile), being a risk factor for overweight independently of sex, age and hypertension (OR: 1.85, 95% CI: 1.13, 3.05, p<0.02). Additionally, in the outpatients study, compared with the homozygous LL subjects, S allele carriers showed a higher BMI Z score (1.47±1.09 vs. 0,51±1.4, p<0.002) and were more frequent in overweight children. Conclusion: S allele of SLC6A4 promoter variant is associated with overweight being an independent genetic risk factor for obesity. Word count: 194 Key words: Adolescents, Obesity, Gene, SLC6A4, polymorphism, serotonin.