The Gender Association of the SIRT1 rs7895833 Polymorphism with Pediatric Obesity: A 3-Year Panel Study.

OBJECTIVES: Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), a longevity-associated gene, has pleiotropic functions. We investigated whether SIRT1 variation is associated with pediatric obesity.

METHODS: During 3 years of follow-up of 219 children (101 boys, 118 girls) aged 8 or 9 years at baseline, obesity parameters such as anthropometrics, plasma lipid and insulin resistance profiles, and nutrient intakes were analyzed with regard to 3 genotypes of SIRT1 rs7895833 (GG, GA, and AA).

RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity including overweight had increased from 18.3% (in 2007) to 25.1% (in 2010), and the incidence of obesity over 3 years from nonobesity at the baseline was 11.7%. In the obesity group (BMI >85th percentile) that had been nonobese 3 years before, the frequency of the GA+AA genotypes was higher than that of the GG genotype. Among the total number of subjects, the values for criteria for obesity such as BMI and waist circumference were higher in the GA+AA group than in the GG group. In boys, the reductions in total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in the GG group were considerably greater than those in the GA+AA group, even though the changes in carbohydrate, fat, and protein intake in the GG group were higher than in the GA+AA group. In girls, the reductions in fasting blood sugar and homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) levels were greater in the GA+AA group than in the GG group, despite unchanged energy intakes over 3 years.

CONCLUSIONS: We identified an association between SIRT1 variation and pediatric obesity in Korean children with a gender difference.