FTO Genotype, Dietary Protein Intake and Body Weight in a Population of Young Adults

BackgroundVariation in the fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) has been shown to be associated with susceptibility to obesity. There may be a link between patterns of dietary intake, variation in FTO and obesity, but the relationship remains unclear. Previous studies have shown that dietary protein might modify the association between FTO genotype and body weight and composition. ObjectiveThe objective was to determine whether protein intake modifies the association between FTO variant rs1558902 and BMI/waist circumference. MethodsParticipants (n=1,491) were from the Toronto Nutrigenomics and Health Study, a cross sectional examination of young adults. Lifestyle, genetic, anthropometric and biochemical data were collected and diet was assessed using a Toronto-modified Willett food frequency questionnaire. General linear models stratified by ethnicity and adjusted for age, sex and total energy intake were used to examine the association between rs1558902 and measures of body weight, and whether prot...