Genetic variations in SEC16B, MC4R, MAP2K5 and KCTD15 were associated with childhood obesity and interacted with dietary behaviors in Chinese school-age population

Abstract Both genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors are associated with the risk for obesity. Multiple obesity loci have been identified using genome-wide association studies mainly in European populations. The aims of this study were to examine the associations of these loci with obesity and gene × dietary behavior interactions among Chinese children and adolescents. Nineteen candidate SNPs were genotyped using Sequenom technology in the Chinese children (N = 2977, 853 obese and 2124 controls, aged 7–17). Dietary behaviors were assessed using self-administered questionnaires. After adjusting for age, sex and multiple testing, MC4R rs17782313, SEC16B rs543874, MAP2K5 rs2241423 and KCTD15 rs11084753 were associated with obesity and obesity-related traits (all P P