OBJECTIVETo study the association of rs9939609 polymorphism of the fat mass and obesity associated gene (FTO) with overweight or obesity in Hazakh children.

METHODSPCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to determine the rs9939609 polymorphism in 141 patients with overweight or obesity and 138 healthy controls. Height and weight were measured for body mass index (BMI). Serum lipid levels including total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood pressure, plasma glucose levels, and plasma insulin were also determined.

RESULTSThe genotype distributions of both groups were in the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The frequencies of AA, AT and TT were 0.071, 0.511 and 0.418 in the overweight or obesity group, and 0.029, 0.428 and 0.543 in the controls (Chi-square = 5.74, P= 0.057). However, the frequency of AA+ AT genotype in case group (0.582, 82/141) was higher than that in the controls (0.457, 63/138)(Chi-square = 4.368, P= 0.037). The A allele frequency in the case group (0.326) was higher than that in the controls (0.243) (Chi-square = 4.772, P= 0.029). In both groups, the plasma glucose levels of individuals with AA+ AT genotype (4.88± 0.51 mol/L) was higher than those with TT genotypes (4.68± 0.56 mol/L)(P= 0.026). Logistic regression analysis showed that the A allele of the FTO gene was an independent risk factor for overweight or obesity (OR= 0.527; 95%CI: 0.319-0.869).

CONCLUSIONThe A allele of the fat mass and obesity associated gene might be a risk factor of overweight or obesity in Hazakh children in Xinjiang.