Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2003, 201 (4)

Relationship between the b₃-Adrenoceptor Gene Variant and Body Fat in Japanese Children

NAOYUKI KUROKAWA, KUNIHIKO NAKAI, SATOMI KAMEO, ZHONG-MIN LIU and HIROSHI SATOH

Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8575

In this study, we investigated whether the variant of the b₃-adrenoceptor gene is associated with accumulation of body fat in Japanese junior high school students. A total of 87 junior high school students, 50 boys and 37 girls, participated in this survey. The b₃-adrenoceptor gene variant was detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Accumulation of body fat was assessed by skinfold thickness at the triceps and subscapular with a skinfold caliper. There was no difference between boys and girls in the frequency of the b₃-adrenoceptor gene allele. There were no significant differences in body mass index and percent body fat between the Arg carriers (Trp/Arg or Arg/Arg) and the Arg noncarriers (Trp/Trp) for either sex. The Trp64Arg variant of the b₃-adrenoceptor gene does not seem to have a strong effect on the accumulation of body fat in this group of Japanese junior high school students.

keywords —— b₃-adrenoceptor gene variant; Trp64Arg; body fat; children

© 2003 Tohoku University Medical Press

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Address for reprints: Naoyuki Kurokawa, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryomachi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8575, Japan.

e-mail: n-kuro@ehs.med.tohoku.ac.jp