Multiple novel gene-by-environment interactions modify the effect of FTO variants on body mass index

By Alexander I. Young, Fabian L. Wauthier, Peter Donnelly. 2016

137 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Genetic studies have shown that obesity risk is heritable and that, of the many common variants now associated with body mass index, those in an intron of the fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene have the largest effect. The size of the UK Biobank, and its joint measurement of genetic, anthropometric and lifestyle variables, offers an unprecedented opportunity to assess gene-by-environment interactions in a way that accounts for the dependence between different factors. We jointly examine the evidence for interactions between FTO (rs1421085) and various lifestyle and environmental factors. We report interactions between the FTO variant and each of: frequency of alcohol consumption (P=3.0 × 10−4); deviations from mean sleep duration (P=8.0 × 10−4); overall diet (P=5.0 × 10−6), including added salt (P=1.2 × 10−3); and physical activity (P=3.1 × 10−4). Common variants in the fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) gene are linked to body mass index (BMI). Using the latest UK Biobank data, this study shows novel gene x environment interactions between FTOand lifestyle factors, including frequency of alcohol consumption, sleep, and added dietary salt.

Subfields: Genetics, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Citations in the corpus

• Genome-wide genetic data on ~500,000 UK Biobank participants (2017, unknown): “These exploit the UK Biobank’s substantial sample size, extensive phenotype information, and genome-wide genetic information to study the often subtle and complex effects of genetics on human traits and disease, and its potential interactions with other factors [10-15].”