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.