Open Access

ARTICLE

Association of the IL6-174(G/C) polymorphism with C-reactive protein concentration after weight loss in obese men

Carita Eklund¹, Arja Nenonen^2,3,4, Katriina Kukkonen-Harjula³, Patrik Borg³, Mikael Fogelholm^3,5, Seppo Laine⁶, Heini Huhtala⁷, Terho Lehtimäki⁴, Mikko Hurme^1,8

1 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Tampere Medical School, FI-33014 Tampere, Finland
2 Rheumatism Foundation Hospital, Heinola, Finland
3 UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, Tampere, Finland
4 Laboratory of Atherosclerosis Genetics, Department of Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital and Medical School, University of Tampere, Finland 5 The Research Unit of Tampere University Hospital, Finland
6 Department of Clinical Chemistry, Center for Laboratory Medicine, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
7 Tampere School of Public Health, University of Tampere, Finland
8 Tampere University Hospital, Finland

* Corresponding Author: C. Eklund, carita.eklund@uta.fi

European Cytokine Network 2006, 17(2), 131-135.

Accepted 15 May 2006;

Abstract

Elevated plasma concentration of C-reactive protein has emerged as an important predictor of future cardiovascular diseases and metabolic abnormalities in apparently healthy individuals. Obese individuals tend to have elevated C-reactive protein concentrations. Weight loss induces a change in this protein, and single nucleotide polymorphisms in regulating genes might affect this change, since C-reactive protein concentration is known to be approximately 40-50% heritable. Our aim was to study the association between the IL6 -174(G/C), IL1B +3954(C/T) and CRP +1059(G/C) single nucleotide polymorphisms, and CRP concentrations in obese men during a weight reduction program. We genotyped 72 obese men who had participated in a weight reduction program. Their C-reactive protein concentrations, interleukin-6 levels and fat mass were determined at two time points: at baseline and after weight reduction (after 2 months). After weight reduction, the mean weight loss was 14.3 kg. Median C-reactive protein concentrations decreased, after weight reduction, from 1.72 to 1.22 mg/l (p < 0.02). The baseline C-reactive protein concentration did not differ between the IL6-174(G/C) genotypes, but after weight loss, concentrations differed (p = 0.03 Kruskal-Wallis test); the highest concentration was found in the CC genotype (CC 1.01 versus GG 1.93 mg/l, p = 0.007 ANOVA post-hoc test). This change in concentration was associated with the IL6-174(G/C) genotype (p = 0.01, Kruskal-Wallis test), being least in the CC genotype. The other single nucleotide polymorphisms studied were not associated with CRP concentrations. Our results show that, at baseline, there is no difference in C-reactive protein concentrations among the different IL6-174(G/C) genotypes, but after weight loss the CC genotype is associated with highest C-reactive protein concentrations, resulting from the fact that C-reactive protein seems not to decrease with weight loss in this genotype.

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