Association of polymorphisms in leptin receptor gene with obesity and type 2 diabetes in the local population of Coimbatore

Among the polymorphisms tested in this study, significant association with BMI (P < 0.05), WHR (P < 0.05) leptin (P < 0.001) and insulin (P < 0.0001) was observed for the SNP Q223R, whereas in the case of the other two polymorphisms the association was not statistically significant. The significance value was calculated based on the χ(2) test. The controls are also found to have a higher frequency of homozygous mutants for Q223R and are significantly associated with obesity. These findings support the hypothesis that Q223R polymorphism is associated with obesity. It can be speculated that the controls showing the same allele may develop Type 2 diabetes at a later stage and Q223R can act as a strong marker.