Study on Obesity and Genetic Factors
Author Information
Author(s): Wang Kai, Li Wei-Dong, Zhang Clarence K., Wang Zuoheng, Glessner Joseph T., Grant Struan F. A., Zhao Hongyu, Hakonarson Hakon, Price R. Arlen
Primary Institution: Center for Applied Genomics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Hypothesis
Can genome-wide association studies identify genetic variants associated with obesity?
Conclusion
The study found significant genetic associations with obesity, particularly with the FTO and NRXN3 genes.
Supporting Evidence
- The study identified 16 genome-wide significant signals within the FTO gene.
- Obesity-related traits were also examined, revealing significant associations with waist to hip ratio and NRXN3.
- Using extreme phenotypes increased the power to detect genetic associations.
Takeaway
Researchers looked at DNA from a lot of people to find out which genes might make someone more likely to be obese.
Methodology
The study performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on 520 obese cases and 540 controls, followed by genotyping of top SNPs in a larger sample.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the selection of extreme phenotypes and the reliance on self-reported data for some measures.
Limitations
The study's sample was primarily non-Hispanic Caucasians, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.
Participant Demographics
The participants included 520 obese cases (32 males, 488 females) and 540 controls (8 males, 532 females), all non-Hispanic Caucasians.
Statistical Information
P-Value
2.5×10−12
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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