Assessment of the Nutritional Status and Dietary Intake of a Selected Group of Adults in Relation to the FTO Genotype

The FTO gene rs9939609 has been positively associated with obesity in humans, but its role in dietary intake is still unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between nutritional status and dietary intake in adults and the role of the FTO gene polymorphism in this context. In a group of 112 adults (74% women, mean age 40.1 ± 13.24 years), body composition was analysed using the bioimpedance method and body weight status was assessed using BMI criteria. Diet was assessed by three-day food records and a food frequency questionnaire. The polymorphisms of the FTO rs9939609: AA, AT, and TT were analysed by fast real-time PCR in DNA isolated from buccal swabs. The data were statistically analyzed by using analysis of variance, non-parametric tests, and multivariate analyses (principal component analysis, correspondence analysis). The frequency of the mutant A allele in the study group was 0.46. The frequency analysis of individual genotypes (TT=0.26; AT=0.56; AA=0.18) revealed that the genotype distribution in the study group was consistent with the Hardy-Weinberg law. The rs9939609 FTO gene polymorphism was associated with frequency of excessive body weight. There was no difference in the values obtained from anthropometric measurements and body composition analysis in the group. The results showed that the studied polymorphism FTO gene explained only 7.82% of the variability in features characterising the nutritional status. The analysis of obesity prevalence within families revealed a significant impact from relatives on the female line.