Objective: To investigate the association of variants of the intestinal fatty acid-binding protein gene (FABP2) with fasting and postchallenge glucose and insulin levels, HbA(1c), and prevalence of type 2 diabetes in a separate sample of men and women.
Research design and methods: Subjects were participants in the Framingham Offspring Study, a long-term community-based prospective observational study of risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The study sample consisted of 762 men and 922 women.
Results: In women, carriers of the Thr54 allele had significantly higher 2-h postchallenge insulin levels than noncarriers (104.4 +/- 73.0 vs. 93.4 +/- 61.5 microU/ml; P = 0.0139). This relationship remained significant after adjustment for familial relationship, age, BMI, triglycerides, APOE genotype, smoking, alcohol intake, the use of beta-blockers, menopausal status, and estrogen therapy. No such significant association was observed in men. In both men and women, there were no statistical associations between the FABP2 polymorphism and BMI, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, 2-h postchallenge glucose levels, HbA(1c), and prevalence of type 2 diabetes.
Conclusions: These results suggest that the FABP2 Thr54 allele may have a minor contribution to the insulin resistance syndrome in a white general population.