FTO Polymorphism rs9939609 Contributes to Weight Changes in Children With Celiac Disease on Gluten‐Free Diet

Studies of adults and children with celiac disease have reported an increased risk of overweight during gluten‐free diet (GFD). The fat mass and obesity‐associated gene (FTO) variant rs9939609 has been associated with increased risk of developing obesity in children and adults. In our study, we analyzed the effect of this variant on weight gain in a cohort of 280 children with celiac disease on GFD. We found that after a mean follow‐up time of 3.0 years on GFD, FTO polymorphism influenced significantly the mean change in body mass index zscore (P= 0.01). We conclude that the FTO gene contributes to determine weight changes in children with celiac disease on GFD.