title: Estrogen receptor α is not a candidate gene for metabolic syndrome in Caucasian elderly subjects.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Variants of estrogen receptor α (ERα) have been associated with obesity, dyslipidemia, diabetes and blood pressure. The Middle East registers some of the highest rate of metabolic syndrome worldwide. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between metabolic syndrome, a clustered combination of these metabolic factors, and polymorphisms PvuII and XbaI of ERα in Lebanese Caucasian elderly overweight subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  250 Caucasian Lebanese unrelated elderly men and women, median age 71 years, were studied. ERα intronic polymorphisms variants, PvuII and XbaI diplotypes and genotypes, were examined. Associations with metabolic syndrome, defined by the American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (AHA/NHLBI), and its components, namely high density lipoprotein (HDL), fasting glucose levels, blood pressure, and waist circumference were evaluated in regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ER α diplotypes and genotypes distributions were similar between participants with and without metabolic syndrome, in the overall group of subjects, and by gender. No consistent associations between the diplotypes and genotypes tested and metabolic syndrome, or its components, could be detected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Genetic variants in ERα were not associated with metabolic syndrome or its components, in a group of 250 Lebanese Caucasian elderly participants, a group with a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Calcium Metabolism and Osteoporosis Program, WHO Collaborating Center for Metabolic Bone Disorders, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Maha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hoteit
authors.forename: Asma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arabi
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Habib
authors.forename: Rami
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mahfouz
authors.forename: Rafic
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Baddoura
authors.forename: Georges
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Halaby
authors.forename: Ghada
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: El-Hajj Fuleihan
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007861:Lebanon; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha
keywords: AHA/NHLBI; ANOVA; Analysis of Variance; BMI; Body Mass Index; Bp; CS(MS); Components; Cumulative metabolic syndrome components count; DNA; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Diplotypes; ER α; Estrogen Receptor alpha; Estrogen Receptor α; Genotypes; HDL; High density lipoprotein; MENA; Metabolic syndrome; Middle East and North Africa; NHANES; National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; OR [95% CI]; Odd ratio [95% Confidence Interval]; PCR; Polymerase chain reaction; RFLP; Restriction fragment length polymorphism; The American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; base pair (bp)