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The FTO Gene and Measured Food Intake in 5‐ to 10‐Year‐Old Children Without Obesity
Author(s) -
Ranzenhofer Lisa M.,
Mayer Laurel E.S.,
Davis Haley A.,
MielkeMaday Hanna K.,
McInerney Hailey,
Korn Rachel,
Gupta Nikita,
Brown Amanda J.,
Schebendach Janet,
TanofskyKraff Marian,
Thaker Vidhu,
Chung Wendy K.,
Leibel Rudolph L.,
Walsh B. Timothy,
Rosenbaum Michael
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.438
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1930-739X
pISSN - 1930-7381
DOI - 10.1002/oby.22464
Subject(s) - fto gene , obesity , medicine , overweight , calorie , percentile , single nucleotide polymorphism , caloric intake , endocrinology , body mass index , food preference , genotype , biology , genetics , gene , food science , statistics , mathematics
Objective Genetic variation in the first intron of FTO (e.g., single‐nucleotide polymorphism [SNP] rs9939609) is strongly associated with adiposity. This effect is thought to be mediated (at least in part) via increasing caloric intake, although the precise molecular genetic mechanisms are not fully understood. Prior pediatric studies of FTO have included youth with overweight and obesity; however, they have not informed whether a genotypic effect on ingestive behavior is present prior to obesity onset. Therefore, this study investigated the association between FTO and caloric intake in children aged 5 to 10 years without obesity (adiposity ≤ 95th percentile). Methods A total of 122 children were genotyped for rs9939609 and ate ad libitum from a laboratory lunch buffet following a standardized breakfast. Linear regressions, adjusting for body mass, were used to examine the association between FTO “dose” (number of copies of SNP rs9939609) and intake variables. Results There was a significant association between FTO and total intake. Each risk allele predicted an additional 64 calories, accounting for 3% of the variance. There were no associations between FTO and macronutrient preference, energy density, or diet variety. Results were influenced by race. Conclusions Results corroborate and extend prior work by showing a dose‐dependent effect on food intake in children without obesity.