Cardiometabolic risk factors and lactoferrin: polymorphisms and plasma levels in French-Canadian children

• Published in: Pediatric research Vol. 82; no. 5; pp. 741 - 748
• Main Authors: Marcil, Valérie, Mayeur, Sylvain, Lamarche, Benoît, England, Jade, Henderson, Mélanie, Delvin, Edgard, Amre, Devendra, Levy, Emile
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Nature Publishing Group US 01.11.2017; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/420/2489/144; 692/499; 692/700/1720/3187; Adolescent; Age Factors; Body Mass Index; Body Weight; Child; Cholesterol; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Haplotypes; Health Surveys; Humans; Lactoferrin - blood; Lactoferrin - genetics; Lipids - blood; Low density lipoprotein; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Syndrome - blood; Metabolic Syndrome - diagnosis; Metabolic Syndrome - epidemiology; Metabolic Syndrome - genetics; Metabolism; Pediatric Surgery; Pediatrics; Phenotype; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; population-study; Quebec - epidemiology; Risk Factors; Sex Factors
• ISSN: 0031-3998; 1530-0447; 1530-0447
• DOI: 10.1038/pr.2017.72

Background Lactoferrin (LTF) could play a beneficial role in insulin resistance and diabetes, but the association of its gene variants with cardio-metabolic disorders in children has not been investigated. This study aimed to examine the relationship between LTF variants, plasma LTF concentrations, and cardio-metabolic risk factors in French-Canadian children. Methods The study cohort comprises 1,749 French Canadians aged 9, 13, and 16 years. The association of 13 LTF polymorphisms, metabolic parameters, and plasma LTF levels was tested in this cross-sectional, province-wide school-based survey. Results None of the genetic association remained significant after correction for multiple testing and LTF SNPs were not associated with LTF levels. Plasma LTF was positively correlated with body mass index ( r 2 =0.2245, P =0.0011) and weight ( r 2 =0.2515, P =0.0008). After segregating according to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), the association remained only in subjects exhibiting low HDL-C ( r 2 =0.3868, P =0.0002 for body mass index and r 2 =0.3665, P =0.0004 for weight). In girls, plasma LTF was positively correlated with total cholesterol ( r 2 =0.2231, P =0.0378), LDL cholesterol ( r 2 =0.2409, P =0.0246), and apolipoprotein B ( r 2 =0.2478, P =0.0207). Conclusions We found no association between LTF gene variants and metabolic parameters following correction for multiple testing. HDL-C and gender-specific positive associations were evidenced between plasma LTF, anthropometric profile, and lipid levels.