Promoter adiponectin polymorphisms and waist/hip ratio variation in a prospective French adults study

Background: Adiponectin expression and plasma concentrations are decreased in human and animal models of obesity. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms ( SNPs) in the adiponectin gene are known to influence the plasmatic concentration of the encoded protein. Some of these adiponectin polymorphisms have been associated with BMI in cross- sectional studies. Objective: The aim of our study was to examine the longitudinal relationships between adiponectin gene polymorphisms and anthropometric indices. Design: Two adiponectin gene ( ADIPOQ) SNPs, - 11391G>A and - 11377C>G, were genotyped in 837 French Caucasian subjects from the SUpplementation en VItamines et Mineraux Anti- oXydants ( SU. VI. MAX) cohort. Anthropometric scores were measured at three clinical examinations over a 7- year period. Results: For - 11391G>A as well as for - 11377C>G, we detected no association between the variant allele and anthropometric measurements at baseline. Considering longitudinal effects, we detected moderately higher waist- to- hip ratio ( WHR) changes for the carriers of the - 11391A ( P = 0.02) and - 11377C ( P = 0.03) allele over the follow- up of the study. - 11391G>A and - 11377C>G define haplotypes associated also with WHR measurements and their changes over the follow-up of the study. Diploid configurations that combine - 11391A and - 11377C were associated with significantly higher WHR changes ( Delta CE: P= 0.02) compared to other haplotypes. In addition, higher adiponectin levels were observed in AC/ AC diplotypes compared to GG/ GG carriers ( P<0.0001). Conclusion: In the SU. VI. MAX study, genetic variations in the adiponectin gene affect abdominal fat gain over life span.