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

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 +3,954(C/T) and CRP +1,059(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.