Variants in the Ghrelin Gene Are Associated with Metabolic Syndrome in the Old Order Amish

Abstract

The allele frequencies of these variants were 0.03, 0.04, and 0.03, respectively. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was lower among those carrying the 51Gln allele (3.8 vs. 15.8%; age- and sex-adjusted odds ratio = 0.22; P = 0.031). Hunger scores tended to be lower among 51Gln allele carriers but did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.07). The Leu72Met variant was also associated with increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome (23.2 vs. 13.4%; age- and sex-adjusted odds ratio = 2.57; P = 0.02) as well as higher fasting glucose, lower high-density lipoprotein, and higher triglyceride levels (P = 0.02, P = 0.007, and P = 0.04, respectively). The two variants were not in linkage disequilibrium with each other, suggesting independent effects. We conclude that mutations in GHRL may confer risk for the metabolic syndrome.