title: Two British women studies replicated the association between the Val66Met polymorphism in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and BMI.
abstract: The goal of this study is to investigate the relationship between the Val66Met polymorphism in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and body mass index (BMI) in two sizable and well-characterized populations of British women: the British Women's Heart and Health Study (BWHHS) (age 60-79 years) and the mothers from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (age 16-44 years). We genotyped the Val66Met polymorphism (rs6265) in these two populations, and conducted a linear regression analysis to test for an association between this polymorphism and BMI. Both study populations indicated an association between BMI and the Val66Met polymorphism, with individuals carrying the Met-Met genotype having a lower mean BMI than those with the Val-Met or Val-Val genotypes (in the BWHHS): mean BMI difference=-0.911 kg/m(2), 95% confidence interval (CI): -1.70 to -0.12, P=0.023; in the mothers from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC): mean BMI difference=-0.57 kg/m(2), 95%CI: -1.08 to -0.054, P=0.03). In a pooled analysis of these two studies, together with one further published study that provided data in a suitable format for inclusion in our meta-analysis, we found a pooled difference of -0.76 (95% CI: -1.16, -0.036) for adult women; I(2)-test for heterogeneity=51%, P=0.13. Our study indicated an association between BDNF and BMI in two general population studies of women. The exact role of BDNF in weight regulation merits further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. kay1yao@mail.nih.gov
authors.forename: Yin Yao
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Shugart
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ian N M
authors.initials: IN
authors.lastname: Day
authors.forename: Sarah J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Timpson
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Mohammad Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Abdollahi
authors.forename: Sue M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Ring
authors.forename: Shah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ebrahim
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Golding
authors.forename: Debbie A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Lawlor
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Davey-Smith
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight / Q000235:genetics; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000235:genetics*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008715:Methionine / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000502:physiology; D006113:United Kingdom; D014633:Valine / Q000235:genetics; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D008715:Methionine; D014633:Valine