Physical Activity and the Association of Common FTO Gene Variants With Body Mass Index and Obesity

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Abstract
Obesity and related comorbid conditions represent a global public health burden and account for a growing portion of health care spending in the industrialized world. It is widely acknowledged that there is a substantial genetic contribution to body mass index (BMI), and recently, robust associations of common variants in intron 1 of the fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) gene with BMI, percentage of body fat, and obesity were identified in large studies of white adults and children.1-3 Owing to the high frequency of the obesity-associated FTO variants (about 30% allele frequency for the most strongly associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs] in European populations) and their impact (each “risk allele” is associated with a 1.75-kg increase in body weight), these variants carry a population-attributable risk for obesity of greater than 20% in the studied populations.1,3