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The HELENA Study

Jonatan R. Ruiz, PhD; Idoia Labayen, PhD; Francisco B. Ortega, PhD; Vanessa Legry, PhD; Luis A. Moreno, MD, PhD; Jean Dallongeville, MD, PhD; David Martínez-Gómez, BSc; Szilvia Bokor, MD, PhD; Yannis Manios, PhD; Donatella Ciarapica, PhD; Frederic Gottrand, MD, PhD; Stefaan De Henauw, MD, PhD; Denes Molnár, MD, PhD; Michael Sjöström, MD, PhD; Aline Meirhaeghe, PhD; for the HELENA Study Group

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2010;164(4):328-333.

Objective  To examine whether physical activity attenuates the effect of the FTO rs9939609 polymorphism on body fat estimates in adolescents.

Design  Cross-sectional study.

Setting  Athens, Greece; Dortmund, Germany; Ghent, Belgium; Heraklion, Greece; Lille, France; Pécs, Hungary; Rome, Italy; Stockholm, Sweden; Vienna, Austria; and Zaragoza, Spain, from October 2006 to December 2007.

Participants  Adolescents from the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence Cross-Sectional Study (n = 752).

Main Exposure  Physical activity.

Main Outcome Measures  The FTO rs9939609 polymorphism was genotyped. Physical activity was assessed by accelerometry. We measured weight, height, waist circumference, and triceps and subscapular skinfolds; body mass index (BMI [calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared]) and body fat percentage were calculated.

Results  The A allele of the FTO polymorphism was significantly associated with higher BMI (+0.42 per risk allele), higher body fat percentage (+1.03% per risk allele), and higher waist circumference (+0.85 cm per risk allele). We detected significant or borderline gene x physical activity interactions for the studied body fat estimates (for interaction, P = .02, .06, and .10 for BMI, body fat percentage, and waist circumference, respectively). Indeed, the effect of the FTO rs9939609 polymorphism on these body fat parameters was much lower in adolescents who met the daily physical activity recommendations (ie, 60 min/d of moderate to vigorous physical activity) compared with those who did not: +0.17 vs +0.65 per risk allele in BMI, respectively; +0.40% vs +1.70% per risk allele in body fat percentage, respectively; and +0.60 vs +1.15 cm per risk allele in waist circumference, respectively.

Conclusion  Adolescents meeting the daily physical activity recommendations may overcome the effect of the FTO rs9939609 polymorphism on obesity-related traits.

Author Affiliations: Unit for Preventive Nutrition, Department of Biosciences and Nutrition at NOVUM, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden (Drs Ruiz, Ortega, and Sjöström); Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of the Basque Country, Vitoria, Spain (Dr Labayen); Department of Physiology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Institut National de la Santé et la Recherche Médicale Unit 744, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Université Lille Nord de France, and Université Droit et Santé de Lille (Drs Legry, Dallongeville, Bokor, and Meirhaeghe) and Department of Medicine, University of Lille, and Department of Pediatrics, Jeanne de Flandre Children's University Hospital (Dr Gottrand), Lille, France; Growth, Exercise, Nutrition, and Development Research Group, University School of Health Sciences, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain (Dr Moreno); Immunonutrition Research Group, Department of Metabolism and Nutrition, Instituto del Frío, Institute of Food Science, Technology, and Nutrition, Spanish National Research Council, Madrid, Spain (Mr Martínez-Gómez); Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece (Dr Manios); National Research Institute for Food and Nutrition, Roma, Italy (Dr Ciarapica); Department of Public Health, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium (Dr De Henauw); and Department of Pediatrics, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary (Dr Molnár).

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