Background: Obesity leads to serious medical complications and impairment of quality of life. We investigated whether inter-individual variability in the risk of obesity was associated with a crucial fibrillar collagen-degrading enzyme matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 polymorphisms (MMP1-1607 and MMP1-519).
Methods: A population-based cohort study consisting of 530 subjects was performed. Body mass index (BMI), systolic and diastolic blood pressures, fasting blood sugar (FBS), HbA1c, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol were measured. Study subjects divided into 2 groups, one with BMI<25.0 and the other with BMI>or=25.0, were genotyped for MMP1-1607 and MMP1-519 polymorphisms by pyrosequencing analysis.
Results: Analyses of genotype distributions and allele frequencies revealed that both MMP1-1607 and MMP1-519 polymorphisms were associated with BMI (P=0.041 and 0.043, respectively) in individuals with age>or=50 years. We also observed significantly lower BMI and triglyceride in -519 AA individuals with age>or=50 years than in -519 G allele carriers with age>or=50 years. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds ratio (OR) for increase in BMI associated with the G vs. A allele in individuals with age>or=50 was 2.02 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.13-3.60, P=0.01], which strongly implicates protective role of MMP1-519 A allele against increase in BMI.
Conclusion: The frequencies of MMP1-1607 G allele and MMP1-519 A allele are significantly higher in subjects with BMI<25.0 and age>or=50 years, suggesting protective roles of MMP1-1607 G allele and MMP1-519 A allele against increase in BMI in Korean population.