Replication of genetic effects of FTO polymorphisms on BMI in a Korean population.

It has been newly reported in recent studies that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the first intron of the FTO gene have been associated with BMI in whites. To determine whether the gene is associated with BMI in Asians also, we performed a replication study of the association of the gene with BMI in a Korean population. Two SNPs in the FTO gene (rs1421085 and rs17817449) were genotyped using the TaqMan method in a Korean population (n = 1,733). The two SNPs were then used for an association study with BMI through statistical analyses. The rs1421085 C allele (P = 0.0015, effect size = 0.0056) and rs17817449 G allele (P = 0.0019, effect size = 0.0053) were found to be significantly associated with increased BMI. Our results suggest that FTO may be one of the worldwide obesity-risk genes.