Obesity, FTO Gene Variant, and Energy Intake in Children

To the Editor: Cecil and colleagues (Dec. 11 issue)¹ report that the A allele of the fat mass and obesity–associated (FTO) gene variant rs9939609, which has been associated with obesity, is also associated with increased levels of physical activity in children. No differences in resting energy expenditure were observed. The association between the A allele and body-mass index (BMI) was explained by a relative overconsumption of food.The Malmö Preventive Project is a population-based study of adults from Malmö, Sweden, in which anthropometry was performed and self-reported physical activity was assessed.² We genotyped the rs9939609 variant in 15,931 . . .