The association between obesity with serum levels of liver enzymes, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyl transferase in adult women.

BACKGROUND: Obesity-induced inflammation may independently disturb the function of critical organs such as liver. This study aimed to investigate the association of obesity with serum levels of biomarkers of liver function including alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) in adult women. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 360 adult women in the summer of 2020 in Tehran, Iran. The participants were categorized into two groups based on their body mass index (BMI≤29.9 and BMI > 30). The serum levels of ALT, AST, ALP and GGT were measured. Logistic regression method was used to assess the association between BMI and liver enzymes after adjusting for the confounders. RESULTS: The mean BMI in non-obese and obese groups was 26.32 ± 2.61 and 33.40 ± 2.80 kg/m2 , respectively (p = .01). A significant association was found between BMI with ALT (ß = .16, p = .002) and GGT (ß = .19, p = .01) enzymes after adjustment for age. The association between BMI and GGT remained significant after further adjustments for smoking, alcohol use, physical activity and educational status. There was no significant association between BMI and liver enzymes after adjustment for dietary intake. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity was associated with the level of serum liver enzymes. However, adjustment for dietary intake disappeared the significant results. Further studies are needed to determine the independent effects of obesity on the liver function.

The association between FTO rs9939609 polymorphism and serum lipid profile in adult women.

BACKGROUND: FTO gene is considered to play an important role in many metabolic diseases. Evidence from studies indicated the possible association between the FTO rs9939609 polymorphisms with serum lipid profile. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association of FTO rs9939609 polymorphism with lipid profile in Iranian women. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 380 adult women. Information about age, height, weight, BMI, physical activity, and dietary intake were collected. The serum levels of Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL), High Density Lipoprotein (HDL), Triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol were measured. The FTO gene was genotyped for rs9939609 polymorphism. The participants were divided into two groups of TT and AT/AA considering dominant model of FTO rs9939609 polymorphism. RESULTS: General characteristics of the participants with different FTO genotypes were not significantly different. The lower levels of HDL were observed in AT/AA genotypes compared to the TT wild type genotype of FTO rs9939609 polymorphism (P = 0.004). Adjustments of age, BMI, and physical activity did not change the results. CONCLUSIONS: However, the significant association between FTO genotype and the HDL level was disappeared after further adjustments for dietary intake. Further studies are warranted to identify the underlying mechanisms of the possible association between FTO gene and serum lipid profile.

The association between fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) genotype and serum vitamin D level in breast cancer patients.

The preventive effect of vitamin D against breast cancer can be influenced by gene polymorphisms. This study aimed to investigate the association between serum level of 25(OH) vitamin D and FTO genotype in breast cancer patients. A cross-sectional study was carried out on 180 newly diagnosed patients with breast cancer in Tehran, Iran. The blood samples were collected from the participants in order to assess the FTO gene rs9939609 polymorphism by the tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system (Tetra-ARMS) PCR method. The serum level of 25(OH) vitamin D was measured using the direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. The association between vitamin D and the FTO genotype in patients with breast cancer was assessed after adjustment for cofounders. The frequency of TT, AT and AA genotypes in the breast cancer patients were 43% (n = 77), 49% (n = 89) and 8% (n = 14), respectively. All patients with higher than 40 ng/dl of serum 25(OH) vitamin D had one or two copies of FTO rs9939609 risk allele (p = 0.019). No linear association was found between the number of FTO risk allele and the level of serum vitamin D. All patients with high serum level of 25(OH) vitamin D had one or two copies of FTO rs9939609 risk allele. FTO gene polymorphisms may counteract the beneficial effects of vitamin D in breast cancer prevention. Further studies can help to better understand the genetic factors predisposing to breast cancer and their effect on the association between vitamin D and breast cancer.

Association of serum 25-OH-vitamin D level with FTO and IRX3 genes expression in obese and overweight boys with different FTO rs9930506 genotypes.

BACKGROUND: The roles of FTO gene and the level of serum 25-OH-vitamin D in obesity are frequently reported. This study aimed to investigate the interactions of serum 25-OH-vitamin D level, FTO and IRX3 genes expression, and FTO genotype in obese and overweight boys. METHODS: This study was carried out on the 120 male adolescents with overweight in Tehran, Iran. Blood samples were collected from the participants in order to evaluate the serum level of 25-OH-vitamin D, the expression level of FTO and IRX3 genes, and FTO genotype for rs9930506 at baseline and after 18 weeks of the study. RESULTS: In general, no significant association was found between serum 25-OH-vitamin D level and IRX3 and FTO genes expression. The results of linear regression on the relationship between 25-OH-vitamin D serum level and FTO and IRX3 genes expression based on FTO genotypes for rs9930506 indicated that in AA/AG genotype carriers, serum 25-OH-vitamin D level was positively associated with FTO gene expression (B = 0.07, p = 0.02) and inversely associated with IRX3 gene expression (B = - 0.07, p = 0.03). In GG carriers, serum 25-OH-vitamin D level was not associated with expression of IRX3 and FTO genes. CONCLUSION: There are significant interactions between 25-OH-vitamin D and the expression of FTO and IRX3 genes in the subset of obese patients with specific genotypes for FTO rs9930506. There was no association between serum 25-OH-vitamin D levels and the expression of FTO and IRX genes in individuals with a homozygous genotype for the risk allele of the FTO gene polymorphism.