Background: Variation in the peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) gene has been reported to alter the risk for adiposity in adults.
Methods: We investigated the gender related association between the Pro12Ala variant (rs1801282) in obesity and insulin resistance traits in 794 peri-adolescent children aged 10-12 years of Greek origin from the Gene and Diet Attica Investigation (GENDAI) cohort.
Results: Gender stratified analysis suggested that in peri-adolescent boys, Ala carriers exhibited lower measures of skinfold (triceps: 16.9+/-6.9 vs. 19.4+/-7.9 mm, p=0.014; subscapular: 9.6+/-4.5 vs. 11.2+/-5.4 mm, p=0.016) and lower adiponectin concentrations (3.9+/-1.3 vs. 4.7+/-2.4 microg/mL, p=0.05). In peri-adolescent girls, Ala carriers had lower insulin concentrations (7.3+/-3.7 vs. 8.5+/-4.4 microU/mL, p=0.026) and lower values of homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (1.5+/-0.8 vs. 1.8+/-0.96, p=0.019). Linear regression analysis revealed that the presence of the Ala allele in boys was a nominally significant predictor of obesity indices, including skin-folds (triceps: beta+/-SE: -2.3+/-1.1, p=0.032; subscapular: beta+/-SE: -2.3+/-1.1, p=0.04) and adiponectin concentrations (beta+/-SE: -0.7+/-0.4, p=0.05) after adjusting for potential covariates. In girls, the Ala allele was a predictor of insulin concentrations (beta+/-SE: -1.2+/-0.6, p=0.037) and HOMA-IR (beta+/-SE: -0.24+/-0.13, p=0.037).
Conclusions: Our results suggest that adiposity in children is influenced by the Pro12Ala polymorphism in a gender specific manner.