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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Obesity
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1449374

Mitochondrial Haplogroup R Offers Protection Against Obesity in Kuwaiti and Qatari Populations

Provisionally accepted
Mohammed Dashti Mohammed Dashti 1Naser Ali Naser Ali 2Hussain Alsaleh Hussain Alsaleh 3Sumi John Sumi John 1Rasheeba Nizam Rasheeba Nizam 1Fahd Al Mulla Fahd Al Mulla 1*Alphonse T. Thangavel Alphonse T. Thangavel 1*
  • 1 Dasman Diabetes Institute, Kuwait City, Kuwait
  • 2 Department of Medical Laboratories, Ahmadi Hospital, Kuwait Oil Company, Ahmadi, Kuwait
  • 3 Saad Al-Abdullah Academy for Security Sciences , Ministry of Interior, Shuwaikh, Kuwait

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: The Kuwaiti and Qatari populations have a high prevalence of obesity, a major risk factor for various metabolic disorders. Previous studies have independently explored mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variations and their association with obesity in these populations. This study aims to investigate the role of mtDNA haplogroups and variants in obesity risk among these Gulf populations. Methods: Whole exome sequencing data from 1,112 participants (348 Kuwaitis and 764 Qataris) were analyzed for mtDNA variants. Participants were classified as obese or non-obese based on body mass index (BMI). Association analyses were performed to examine the relationship between mtDNA haplogroups and obesity, adjusting for covariates such as age and sex. Results: Haplogroup R was found to be protective against obesity, with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.69 (p = 0.045). This association remained significant after adjusting for age and sex (OR = 0.694; 95% CI: 0.482-0.997; p = 0.048). Several mtDNA variants, particularly those involved in mitochondrial energy metabolism, showed nominal associations with obesity, but these did not remain significant after correcting for multiple testing. Conclusion: Haplogroup R consistently demonstrates a protective association against obesity in both Kuwaiti and Qatari populations, highlighting its potential as a biomarker for obesity risk in the Gulf region. However, further research with larger sample sizes is needed to validate these findings and clarify the role of mtDNA variants in obesity.

    Keywords: Obesity, Mitochondrial haplogroups, mtDNA mutations, Arabs, Kuwait, Qatar

    Received: 14 Jun 2024; Accepted: 19 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Dashti, Ali, Alsaleh, John, Nizam, Al Mulla and Thangavel. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Fahd Al Mulla, Dasman Diabetes Institute, Kuwait City, Kuwait
    Alphonse T. Thangavel, Dasman Diabetes Institute, Kuwait City, Kuwait

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