title: BDNF Val66Met polymorphism is associated with body mass index in healthy adults.
abstract: Although recent studies suggest a possible relationship between the brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met polymorphism and eating disorders, no study has examined the possibility that the Met-Met genotype is associated with a lower body mass index (BMI) in healthy individuals. We examined this possibility in 481 adults (age range 18-82 years) without significant medical or psychiatric history. After adjusting for gender, analysis of covariance showed that persons with the Met-Met genotype had a lower BMI than those with the Val-Met/Val-Val genotypes (22.28 +/-3.77 vs. 24.72+/-4.81). A similar, though nonsignificant, trend emerged when comparing all three genotypes separately. These findings suggest a possible relationship between Val66Met polymorphism and BMI in healthy adults. Further work is needed to clarify possible mechanisms for this relationship.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA. jgunstad@kent.edu
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gunstad
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schofield
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: Mary Beth
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Spitznagel
authors.forename: Ronald A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Leanne M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kohn
authors.forename: Evian
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gordon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015992:Body Mass Index; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008715:Methionine / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D014633:Valine / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D008715:Methionine; D014633:Valine