The cDNA 385C to A missense polymorphism of the endocannabinoid degrading enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) is associated with overweight/obesity but not with binge eating disorder in overweight/obese women.
Endocannabinoids are involved in the modulation of eating behavior; hence, alterations of this system may play a role in obesity. Recently, a single nucleotide polymorphism (cDNA 385C to A) of the gene coding for fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), the major degrading enzyme of endocannabinoids, has been found to be associated with obesity. However, the possibility that the FAAH gene cDNA 385C to A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is associated to binge eating disorder (BED), a condition that frequently occurs in obese individuals, has not been investigated. In order to address this issue, we assessed the distribution of the cDNA 385C to A SNP in 115 overweight/obese subjects with BED, 74 non-BED patients with obesity and 110 normal weight healthy controls. As compared to healthy controls, the whole group of overweight/obese BED and non-BED patients had a significantly higher frequency of the CA genotype and the A allele of the FAAH gene cDNA 385C to A SNP. Moreover, the SNP resulted significantly correlated to the presence of overweight/obesity (F(2, 296)=3.58, P=0.02), but not to the occurrence of BED (F(2, 296)=0.98; P=0.3). The present study confirms previously published significant over-representations of the FAAH 385 A allele in overweight/obese subjects and presents new data in BED patients that the 385 mutation is not significantly associated with BED-related obesity.
Monteleone
Palmiero
P
Department of Psychiatry, University of Naples SUN, Largo Madonna delle Grazie, 80138 Naples, Italy. monteri@tin.it
Tortorella
Alfonso
A
Martiadis
Vassilis
V
Di Filippo
Carmela
C
Canestrelli
Benedetta
B
Maj
Mario
M
D000328:Adult; D000581:Amidohydrolases / Q000235:genetics*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001835:Body Weight; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D063385:Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D063388:Endocannabinoids; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D020125:Mutation, Missense; D009765:Obesity / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D012016:Reference Values; D000099252:Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolases
D000581:Amidohydrolases; D063385:Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators; D063388:Endocannabinoids; D000099252:Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolases