Three single nucleotide variants of the SIRT1 gene are associated with overweight in a Chinese population: a case control study.

We aimed to explore whether common allelic variations in the SIRT1 gene were associated with excess body weight in a Chinese cohort. Using standard molecular techniques 820 non-diabetic individuals, some of who were classified as overweight (> 23 Kg/m(2)), were genotyped for four haplotype-tagged single nucleotide polymorphisms. The rs10509291AA and rs10823116GG genotypes were associated with high body mass index (BMI) > 23 Kg/m(2), and the rs7894483TT genotype was associated with lower BMI (< 23 Kg/m(2)). The rs10509291AT genotype was associated with a modestly higher risk of being overweight, consistent with the presence of an rs10509291A being a dominant or semi-dominant allele. The ATAA (rs7894483/rs10823116) and ATAG haplotypes were associated with a higher risk of being overweight (OR: 17.11 and 5.12) compared with the AAAG haplotype (P <0.01). Thus, the rs10509291, rs7894483, and rs10823116 alleles were associated with a high BMI (> 23 Kg/m(2)) and with overweight in this non-diabetic Chinese population.