SAA1 gene variants and childhood obesity in China

BACKGROUND: Obesity increases the risk for insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome in both adults and children. SAA is a member of apolipoprotein and plays an important role in maintaining glucose and lipid homeostasis. The purpose of this study was to assess SAA1 allelic variants with obesity in young school-age children. METHODS: A total of 520 consecutive children ages 5–15 years were recruited. Children were divided based on BMI z score into Obese (OB; BMI z score ≥1.65; n = 253) and non-obese (NOB; n = 267). Four SNPs of the human SAA1 gene (rs12218, rs4638289, rs7131332 and rs11603089) were genotyped by use of polymerase chain reaction – restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. RESULTS: Compared to NOB, circulating SAA levels were increased in OB, as were LDL-C, TG and TC concentration. Obese children showed increased frequency of rs12218 and rs4638289 polymorphism compared to control children. There were no differences between OB and NOB for the other 2 polymorphisms. Only the rs4638289 polymorphism showed significant contributions to higher SAA plasma levels. CONCLUSIONS: SAA1 genetic polymorphism was associated with obesity in Chinese children.