Association of Interleukin-6 Haplotypes, Obesity, and Metabolic Abnormalities in a Population of Central Mexico

Objective: We undertook this study to determine the relationship among -174G>C and 598G>A polymorphisms in the promoter region of interleukin-6, obesity, and metabolic abnormalities in subjects from central Mexico. Methods: Included in the study were 150 subjects who were not first-degree relatives of patients with diabetes and 106 blood samples from the general population. All were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) restriction fragment-length polymorphism. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationships among haplotypes, obesity, and metabolic abnormalities. Results: Only 2 haplotypes were observed: the -174G -598G and -174C -598A (D'=1.00). The -174G -598G-haplotype was associated with type 2 diabetes (OR 3.35, 95%, CI 1.16-9.71). The relationship of obesity with insulin insensitivity and obesity with hyperinsulinemia was modified by the presence of this haplotype (from OR 10.07, 95% CI 3.86-23.30 to OR 12.20, 95% CI 4.40-33.85 and OR 6.70, 95% CI 2.02-22.23 to OR 8.08, 95% CI 2.28-28.62, respectively). Conclusions: In the Mexican population, interleukin-6 haplotypes are associated with diabetes, suggesting that their contribution may be by means of modifying the relationship between obesity and metabolic abnormalities.