Codon 54 polymorphism of the fatty acid binding protein 2 gene is associated with increased fat oxidation and hyperinsulinemia, but not with intestinal fatty acid absorption in Korean men

The alanine to threonine substitution at codon 54 (Ala54Thr) of the fatty a cid binding protein 2 (FABP2) gene has been reported to be associated with increased fat oxidation and insulin resistance in several populations. It h as been hypothesized that Ala54Thr substitution results in enhanced intesti nal uptake of fatty acids and thereby an impairment of insulin action, but this hypothesis has not been proven in vivo. We studied the association bet ween the Ala54Thr polymorphism of the FABP2 gene and intestinal H-3-oleic a cid absorption, as well as basal insulin level, basal metabolic rate, and f at oxidation rate in 96 healthy young Korean men. Among our subjects, the a llele frequency of the Ala54Thr substitution was 0.34. Subjects with Thr54- encoding allele were found to have a higher mean fasting plasma insulin con centration and a higher basal fat oxidation rate compared with the subjects who were homozygous for the Ala54-encoding allele. However, there was no s ignificant difference in basal metabolic rate or H-3-oleic acid absorption according to the FABP2 gene polymorphism. These results suggest that the Al a54Thr substitution in the FABP2 gene is associated with increased fat oxid ation and hyperinsulinemia in normal Korean men, but these effects are not mediated by an increase in the intestinal fatty acid absorption. Copyright (C) 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company.