Endocannabinoid receptor polymorphism and fat mass distribution

Several studies in both the animals and human have linked the endocannabinoid system with obesity, food intake and addictive behaviour. The effects of the endocannabinoids are mediated through their receptors – CB1 and CB2. Blocking CB1 causes weight loss and reduction in waist size in both obese and type 2 diabetes. A limited number of studies have evaluated the contribution of common variants (single nucleotide polymorphisms) of the CB1 receptor gene (CNR1) on obesity. However these studies are inconclusive and whether an age-dependent association exists between these polymorphisms and BMI remains unresolved.

Frost and colleagues report the results of their study that evaluated the association of the SNPs (rs806381, rs10485179 and rs1049353) of the CNR1 gene with obesity and fat mass distribution in a population-based study comprising of 783 Danish men aged 20-29 years. The results of their study point towards a link between common variants of the CNR1 gene and fat distribution in young men. Frost et al. (2010) European Journal of Endocrinology 163, 407-412.

Read the full article at DOI:10.1530/EJE-10-0192