Influence of proinflammatory cytokine gene polymorphism on childhood obesity

BACKGROUND Obesity development is a complex process which can be influenced by genetic predisposition modified by environmental factors. Nowadays, the problem of overweight and obesity, including related complications, occurs in increasingly younger children. Thus, there is a need for new genetic markers of increased risk of excessive body mass. OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to examine the relation between polymorphisms located in promoter regions of IL-1beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha genes and obesity development in children. Fifty obese and 55 normal weighing children were enrolled into the study. Genetic examination was performed using PCR-RFLP technique. RESULTS We found a relation between G174C polymorphism in IL-6 gene and G308A in TNF-alpha gene with the occurrence of obesity. Allele A in G308A was more frequent in the obese group than in the control one (P=0.04). The presence of allele C in promoter region of IL-6 gene was more frequent in obese children and connected with a statistically significant increase in the sum of 10 skin fold thickness measurements (P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS The polymorphism C3954T in IL-1beta gene showed no such relation. The examined polymorphisms of proinflammatory cytokines play a role in the regulation of body mass through their influence on metabolism and energetic homeostasis.