Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) genotype and body composition

Abstract

Exogenous ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) administration causes significant weight loss in both humans and animal models, but the effects of endogenous CNTF and the CNTF null allele on body composition are not fully understood. A recent study in a European cohort demonstrated a significantly higher body weight and body mass index (BMI) in older males homozygous for the CNTF null allele (A/A genotype). We sought to replicate these findings in three cohorts: the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging (BLSA) consisting of 422 adult men and women (19-90 years); the Study of Osteoporotic Risk in Men (STORM) consisting of 333 older men (50-84 years); and a third sample obtained by combining older males aged 59-73 years from the BLSA and STORM cohorts (n = 286). In contrast to the European study, we were unable to detect a significant association between CNTF genotype and body weight in the BLSA (P = 0.49), the STORM (P=0.28), or the combined samples (P=0.72). There was also no significant association observed between CNTF genotype and BMI in the BLSA (P = 0.59), the STORM (P = 0.34) or the combined (P = 0.56) samples. In addition, we were unable to detect a significant association between CNTF genotype and total body fat (P=0.95) or fat-free mass (P=0.86) in the BLSA cohort. Our results do not support an effect of the CNTF null allele on body composition, contrary to previous findings. © 2004 Nature Publishing Group All rights reserved.