Research

Energy balance

The UCP2 exon 8 insertion/deletion polymorphism is associated with lower Body Mass Index (BMI) in Pima Indians over the age of 45, specifically in heterozygotes.

If you are over 45, carrying the heterozygous form of the UCP2 exon 8 polymorphism might help you maintain a lower BMI over time, likely due to a higher metabolic rate. This effect is not seen in younger people, suggesting it takes decades to manifest in body composition.

ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
However, when only individuals >45 years of age were considered, heterozygotes (subjects with the highest sleeping metabolic rate) had the lowest BMI (P = 0.04).
Ken Walder · Human Molecular Genetics · 1998

Why this rating

Observational study with a significant subgroup analysis; the effect is statistically significant but likely influenced by age-related metabolic changes.

Source

Association between uncoupling protein polymorphisms (UCP2-UCP3) and energy metabolism/obesity in Pima indians

Ken Walder · Human Molecular Genetics · 1998

DOI 10.1093/hmg/7.9.1431

cross_sectional · n=872Cited 293×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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