Effect of the Common Fat Mass and Obesity Associated Gene Variants on Obesity in Pakistani Population: A Case-Control Study

Background/Objective. Obesity has become a global epidemic due to an increase in the number of obese individuals worldwide. There is little research in the field of obesity genetics in Pakistan. The aim of the current study was to analyze the association of common variants in Fat Mass and Obesity associated (FTO) gene with obesity in Pakistan, to find out the effect of the selected SNPs on anthropometric and biochemical traits, and to observe whether these variants act synergistically. Methods. Samples from 631 subjects were taken after informed consent and were used for serum parameters and genetic analysis. Lipid profile was determined, tetra-ARMS PCR was used for genotyping, and allele/genotype frequencies and genescore were calculated. Results. All FTO variants were associated with obesity, and some biochemical and anthropometric measures and had higher minor allele frequencies than those reported for Asian populations previously. The risk allele of each single nucleotide polymorphism resulted in an increase in BMI in a quantitative manner. Conclusion. Common forms of obesity are due to a combined net effect of many variants presented in same or different genes. The more the number of risk alleles present, the higher the risk and severity of obesity resulting from an increase in BMI.