Objective: The goal of this study was to assess the association between the APOA4 Thr(347)-->Ser(347) polymorphism and BMI and obesity.
Research methods and procedures: Men and women (n = 3320), randomly recruited in three independent population surveys from the north, east, and south of France, were genotyped for the APOA4 Thr(347)-->Ser(347) polymorphism.
Results: There were 1327 overweight (825 men, 502 women) and 611 obese (313 men, 298 women) subjects. The prevalences of subjects carrying at least one Ser(347) allele (*/Ser(347)) were 36.5%, 33.8%, and 34.3% in controls, overweight, and obese subjects, respectively (not significant), and those of the Ser(347)/Ser(347) genotype were 4.5%, 3.0%, and 2.2%, respectively (not significant). In both men and women, mean BMI and body weight were not significantly different among APOA4 genotypes. There was no evidence of heterogeneity among centers, smoking status, alcohol intake, physical activity, and educational level categories. In men, mean waist girth was lower in Ser(347)/Ser(347) (92.2 +/- 9.4 cm) than in Thr(347) carriers (95.9 +/- 10.9 cm; p = 0.01), and plasma triglycerides levels were lower in Ser(347) (1.41 +/- 1.04 mM) than in Thr(347)/Thr(347) carriers (1.55 +/- 1.23 mM; p = 0.01).
Discussion: These results suggest that the APOA4 347Ser allele is not a major risk factor for obesity or overweight.