Ala54Thr polymorphism of fatty acid-binding protein 2 gene and fasting blood lipids: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE

The results from the published studies on the association of fatty acid-binding protein 2 (FABP2) Ala54Thr polymorphism with dyslipidemia are conflicting and inconclusive. In this meta-analysis encompassing all the relevant studies, we aimed to investigate the association of the FABP2 Ala54Thr polymorphism with fasting blood lipids.

METHODS

We limited our analysis to the following four blood lipid parameters: total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Subjects were confined to adults who were at least 18 years old. A dominant model was used for this meta-analysis.

RESULTS

30 studies with 14,401 subjects were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that the carriers of Thr54 allele have higher blood TC and LDL-C than the non-carriers: standardized mean difference (SMD)=0.07, 95% CI (confidence interval, 0.02, 0.11), P=0.005, Pheterogeneity=0.12, and SMD=0.09, 95% CI (0.03, 0.15), P=0.002, Pheterogeneity=0.0006, respectively. Significant association between the Ala54Thr polymorphism and lower blood HDL-C was also detected under the dominant models: SMD=-0.05, 95% CI (-0.09, -0.00), P=0.04, Pheterogeneity=0.10.

CONCLUSIONS

Our meta-analysis supports the strong association between the Thr54 allele of the FABP2 Ala54Thr polymorphism with higher levels of TC and LDL-C, and lower levels of HDL-C.