Early screening of FTO and MC4R variants in newborns of Greek origin.

Background: Variants of fat mass and obesity associated gene ( FTO) and melanocortin-4 receptor gene ( MC4R) are related to obesity, overweight and type 2 diabetes. Objectives: To examine the presence of FTO and MC4R variants in Greek newborns. Subjects and methods: A total 1530 newborns of Greek origin were subjected to genetic testing for rs9939609 ( FTO) and for rs17782313 ( MC4R) variants using dried blood spot (DBS) analysis. Results: Some 20.2% of newborns carried none of the tested variants. FTO homozygotes and FTO heterozygotes correspond to 18.0% and 45.9% of neonates, respectively. MC4R homozygotes and MC4R heterozygotes were identified in 6.7% and 36.3% of neonates, respectively. Of the infants, 2.2% carried both variants in homozygosity, whereas heterozygotes for both variants correspond to 16.7% of the tested neonates. Conclusion: The results indicate high prevalence of homozygosity and heterozygosity for tested variants. Early screening via DBS may be beneficial in order to adopt a healthy lifestyle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]