Methylene Tetrahydrofolate Reductase and Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Gene Polymorphisms Related to Overweight/Obesity among Saudi Subjects from Qassim Region

BACKGROUND This work was planned to check for the association of polymorphisms related to methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) genes with overweight/obesity among Saudi subjects from Qassim region. METHODS This work included 130 subjects having overweight or obesity and 111 normal controls. Their age mean +/- SD was 27 +/- 9.8 and 24 +/- 8.8 years respectively. Their DNA was analyzed for polymorphisms of MTHFR; 677C/T and 1298 A/C and ACE; I/D genes using real-time PCR. RESULTS Genotype and allele frequencies of studied polymorphisms in cases of overweight/obesity showed no significant statistical difference compared to that of controls. However, on analysis of body mass index (BMI), cases showed slightly higher but statistically nonsignificant mean +/- SD values among those carrying the mutant MTHFR 677 T allele (CT + TT vs. CC, 30.7 +/- 4.5 vs. 29.9 +/- 4.9), 1298 C allele (AC + CC vs. AA, 29.9 +/- 4.1 vs. 29.7 +/- 5.5) and ACE D allele (ID + DD vs. II, 30.0 +/- 5.1 vs. 29.1 +/- 2.8). In addition controls having the DD and ID genotypes showed higher statistically significant values of BMI than those of the II genotype (22.0 +/- 1.9, 21.7 +/- 2.6 and 19.5 +/- 2.3 respectively, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION There is no solid association of polymorphisms related to MTHFR and ACE genes with non-complicated overweight or obesity among Saudi subjects from Qassim Region.