Received on December 19, 2006
Accepted on March 29, 2007

Nutrition

The -256T>C Polymorphism in the Apolipoprotein A-II Gene Promoter Is Associated with Body Mass Index and Food Intake in the Genetics of Lipid Lowering Drugs and Diet Network Study

¹ Nutrition and Genomics Laboratory, Jean Mayer-US Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA, and Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology Unit and CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
² Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health Clinical Nutrition Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL
³ Laboratory of Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
⁴ Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, MN
⁵ Human Genetics Center, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX
⁶ Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology Department, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
⁷ Division of Biostatistics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
⁸ Nutrition and Genomics Laboratory, Jean Mayer-US Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jose.ordovas{at}tufts.edu.

Background: Apolipoprotein A-II (APOA2) plays an ambiguous role in lipid metabolism, obesity, and atherosclerosis.

Methods: We studied the association between a functional APOA2 promoter polymorphism (-265T>C) and plasma lipids (fasting and postprandial), anthropometric variables, and food intake in 514 men and 564 women who participated in the Genetics of Lipid Lowering Drugs and Diet Network (GOLDN) study. We obtained fasting and postprandial (after consuming a high-fat meal) measures. We measured lipoprotein particle concentrations by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and estimated dietary intake by use of a validated questionnaire.

Results: We observed recessive effects for this polymorphism that were homogeneous by sex. Individuals homozygous for the -265C allele had statistically higher body mass index (BMI) than did carriers of the T allele. Consistently, after multivariate adjustment, the odds ratio for obesity in CC individuals compared with T allele carriers was 1.70 (95% CI 1.02-2.80, P = 0.039). Interestingly, total energy intake in CC individuals was statistically higher [mean (SE) 9371 (497) vs 8456 (413) kJ/d, P = 0.005] than in T allele carriers. Likewise, total fat and protein intakes (expressed in grams per day) were statistically higher in CC individuals (P = 0.002 and P = 0.005, respectively). After adjustment for energy, percent of carbohydrate intake was statistically lower in CC individuals. These associations remained statistically significant even after adjustment for BMI. We found no associations with fasting lipids and only some associations with HDL subfraction distribution in the postprandial state.

Conclusions: The -265T>C polymorphism is consistently associated with food consumption and obesity, suggesting a new role for APOA2 in regulating dietary intake.