High frequency of metabolic syndrome in non-obese Maya children from México: Implications of PPARG, KCNJ1, HHEX, HNF4A, ACE (I/D), FTO and ABCA1 genetics variants.

Background: Both environmental and genetic factors determine metabolic syndrome (MetS) and eventually result in metabolic diseases. MetS is a national health problem in adults and children, with a higher incidence in Indigenous than mestizo individuals.

Objective: Evaluate the association of PPARG/rs1801282, KCNJ11/rs5219, HHEX/rs1111875, HNF4A/rs1800961, ACE-I/D, FTO/rs9939609 and ABCA1/rs9282541 variants with MetS or its components in the Maya children from Yucatan.

Material and methods: A total of 508 Maya children of 9 to 13 years were recruited. We analyze the association of genetic variants with MetS in non-obese Maya children by univariate and multivariate models adjusted by sex, age, and BMI.

Results: Interestingly, the frequency of MetS in non-obese Maya children from rural and urban areas was 35% and 39%, respectively. The genotype-phenotype analysis in rural Maya children revealed that rs9282541-ABCA1 was associated with high glucose (p = 0.011); rs9939609-FTO, with high blood pressure (p = 0.048) and rs1800961-HNF4A, with high insulin and HOMA-IR (p = 0.038, p = 0.043). In urban children, I/D-ECA was associated with high blood pressure (p = 0.022); rs1111875-HHEX, with high triglycerides (p = 0.050) and rs1800961-HNF4A, with low HDL-c (p = 0.048).

Conclusions: These findings provide strong evidence of the role of the studied variants in conferring genetic susceptibility to develop MetS in non-obese Maya children from Mexico.