Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Diseases (Depression, Overweight/Obesity) and the Role of Fto Gene Polymorphism in Their Comorbidity Among 25–34 Year-Old Individuals

Highlights Obesity and depression are a growing global public health problem affecting people of all ages and socioeconomic status. They are independently among the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. In terms of biological mechanisms, genetic risk factors have been proposed as a potential factor associated with the comorbidity of depression and obesity. Significant correlations were found between the A/A rs9939609 genotype of the FTO gene and both depression and overweight/obesity compared to non-depressed and normal weight A/T+T/T genotypes in young individuals. Our findings will provide a useful starting point for understanding the biological mechanism involved in the association between obesity and depression in the population. Abstract Aim. To analyze the relationship between the rs9939609 T>A genotypes of the FTO gene, depression and overweight/obesity as risk factors for cardiovascular diseases among young people aged 25–34 residing in Novosibirsk. Methods. The population-based study included Novosibirsk residents aged 25–34, the study was conducted in 2013–2016 within the framework of the research topic FWNR-2024-0002. 975 people (43.7% men, Caucasians) were screened, the response rate was 71%. Demographic and social data and anthropometry were collected. All study participants took the “MONICA-MOPSY” psychosocial questionnaire. Genotyping of the FTO gene polymorphism was carried out at the Research Institute of Therapeutic Microbiology and Microbiology, a branch of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk. Results. The distribution of the A/A rs9939609 genotype of the FTO gene was higher in both the overweight (36.8%) and obese (45.6%) groups compared to the normal BMI group (17.5%). The distribution of the T/T genotypes was higher in the normal BMI group (51.6%) compared to the overweight (32%) and obese (16.4%) groups. The average BMI (body mass index) values were higher among carriers of the A/A genotype (30.4 ± 7.4 kg/m 2 ) compared to carriers of the A/T (26.4 ± 5.2 kg/m 2 ) and T/T (25.2 ± 5.2 kg/m 2 ) genotypes (p < 0.001). The average depression scores were higher among carriers of the A/A genotype 4.4 ± 2.6, compared to carriers of the A/T genotype 3.1 ± 2.2 and T/T 2.9 ± 2.0 (p < 0.001). Carriage of the A/A genotype of the FTO gene was a predictor of both depression (OR = 3.267; 95% CI 1.770–6.030; p < 0.001) and overweight/obesity (OR = 2.208; 95% CI 1.228–9.777; p < 0.001) compared to carriers of the A/T+T/T genotypes without depression and with normal body weight. Conclusion. The results established the role of the A/A rs9939609 polymorphism of the FTO gene in the comorbidity of depression and obesity.