Metabolic syndrome and ADRB3 gene polymorphism in severely obese patients from South Italy

To evaluate the prevalence of β3-adrenergic receptor (ADRB3) Trp64Arg polymorphism and its relationship with the metabolic syndrome in severe obesity. Cross-sectional outpatients study. In 265 (100 men) severely obese non-diabetic subjects and 78 (25 men) healthy volunteers, genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral leukocytes. In obese patients, plasma concentrations of leptin, lipids, glucose and insulin, the homeostasis model assessment index and blood pressure have been measured. The Trp64Arg mutation was identified with the real-time TaqMan method. Neither genotype distribution nor allele frequency differed between the two groups. The metabolic syndrome prevalence was 59% in obese subjects, and was higher in men than in women (65 vs 55%: P=0.03). The body mass index (BMI) was related to age tertiles (β=0.08; P