-308 Nco I polymorphism of tumour necrosis factor alpha in overweight Caucasians

We investigated whether a polymorphism in the promoter region of the TNFalpha gene (-308 A/G) is associated with reduced weight loss in obese Australian subjects on an energy restricted diet. 189 healthy subjects and 91 subjects with type II diabetes were genotyped for the -308 Nco I polymorphism using PCR-RFLP techniques. A subset of these subjects (211 females and 45 males), were placed on a 30% energy restricted diet (6200 kJ) for 12 weeks. Subjects were assessed every 2 weeks and changes in body weight, waist circumference and BMI were used as determinants of weight loss. Fasting plasma was analysed for glucose, insulin, lipids and free fatty acids. 64% of subjects were GG homozygotes, 31% were AG heterozygotes and 5% were AA homozygotes. There was no significant difference between the allele frequency in healthy subjects (0.21) and type 2 diabetic patients (0.24). The presence of the -308 A/G polymorphism did not significantly influence initial BMI, the amount of weight lost (GG, 8.1+/-0.65 kg, AG, 6.9+/-0.77 kg, AA, 7.6+/-0.12 kg), waist circumference or any metabolic variable. The AA variant at position -308 in the promoter region of the TNFalpha gene does not influence the amount of weight lost in overweight and obese men and women on a 30% energy restricted diet.