Biostatistics Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Biostatistics, including details on statistics, uncertainty, probability, modeling.

BDNF Val66Met polymorphism is associated with body mass index in healthy adults.

Gunstad J, Schofield P, Paul RH, Spitznagel MB, Cohen RA, Williams LM, Kohn M, Gordon E

Department of Psychology, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA. jgunstad@kent.edu

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.

Published 2 June 2006 in Neuropsychobiology, 53(3): 153-6.
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