Common variant (rs9939609) in the FTO gene is associated with metabolic syndrome

Recent genome-wide association studies have showed that common variant (rs9939609) in fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) gene was significantly associated with type 2 diabetes through an effect on human body mass index/obesity. Further studies have suggested that this variant was also involved in the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, the results have been inconsistent. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis to clarify the association between rs9939609 polymorphism and the risk of MetS. Published literature from PubMed, EMBASE and other databases were searched. All studies assessing the association between rs9939609 polymorphism and the risk of MetS were identified. Pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated using fixed-effects model. Thirteen studies (8,370 cases and 23,156 controls) using NCEP ATPIII criteria for MetS were pooled with a meta-analysis. The overall result showed that there was a statistically significant association between rs9939609 polymorphism and MetS risk (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.06–1.17). Subgroup analysis based on ethnicity showed that effect size was only statistically significant in Europeans (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.05–1.16). Eight studies (1,256 cases and 2,551 controls) using IDF criteria for MetS were pooled with a meta-analysis. The overall analysis suggested that rs9939609 polymorphism was significantly associated with MetS risk (OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.13–1.54). Subgroup analysis stratified by ethnicity suggested that effect size was only statistically significant in Asians (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.10–1.61). Our results suggested that FTO rs9939609 polymorphism was significantly associated with the increased risk of MetS in European and Asian populations. Mechanistic investigation is also needed to clarify the effect of FTO gene in the predisposition to MetS.