Intake of total and subgroups of fat minimally affect the associations between selected SNPs in the PPAR γ pathway and changes in anthropometry among European adults from cohorts of the DiOGenes Study

Background— Although the PPAR γ pathway is central in adipogenesis, it remains unknown whether it influences change in body weight (BW) and whether intake of dietary fat has a modifying effect on the association. Objective— We examined whether 27 SNPs within four genes in the PPAR γ pathway are associated with the odds ratio (OR) of being a BW gainer or with annual changes in anthropometry, and whether dietary intake of total fat, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), or saturated fat acids (SFAs) have a modifying effect on these associations. Methods— A case/non-case study including 11,048 men and women from cohorts in the European DiOGenes study; 5,552 of these participants were cases, defined as individuals with the greatest BW gain during follow-up, and 6,548 were randomly selected, of which 5,496 were non-cases. We selected four genes based on evidence likely to be absent or marginal. The observed interaction between rs4253449 and dietary fat needs confirmation. included 1,052 cases, and hence 5,496 in the sample were non-cases. Odds ratios were adjusted for, sex, physical activity, education level, menopausal status, and hormone replacement therapy. Results from the individual cohorts were meta-analyzed using a random effects approach.