Obesity-associated genetic variants in young Asian Indians with the metabolic syndrome and myocardial infarction

OBJECTIVE: Associations between obesity-related polymorphisms and the metabolic syndrome in 485 young (≤ 45 years) Asian Indian patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and 300 matched controls were assessed. METHODS: Genetic variants included the adiponectin 45T→G and 276G→T, LEPR K109R and Q223R, MC4R-associated C→T and FTO A→T polymorphisms. RESULTS: The metabolic syndrome, as defined by NCEP ATP III and IDF criteria, was diagnosed in 61 and 60% of patients, respectively. No relationship was found between the obesity-associated polymorphisms and the metabolic syndrome, or between AMI patients and controls. The MC4R-associated TT genotype occurred more frequently in patients with lower triglyceride levels (p = 0.024), while the adiponectin 45 TT genotype occurred more commonly in patients with normal fasting glucose levels (p = 0.004). The LEPR Q223R TT genotype was associated with low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels (p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: The metabolic syndrome occurs commonly in young Asian Indian patients with AMI. No relationship was found between any obesity-associated polymorphism and the metabolic syndrome. Particular genotypes may exert protective or disadvantageous effects on individual components of the metabolic syndrome.