# The impact of CREBRF rs373863828 Pacific-variant on infant body composition

## TL;DR

A genetic variant in Māori and Pacific infants is linked to lower body fat at 12–18 months, possibly due to improved maternal glucose control.

## Contribution

The study reveals a genetic variant's effect on infant body composition, potentially mediated by maternal glycemic status.

## Key findings

- Infants with the CREBRF rs373863828 A allele had lower whole-body fat mass at 12–18 months.
- The association between the variant and fat mass was not significant after adjusting for gestational diabetes.

## Abstract

In Māori and Pacific adults, the CREBRF rs373863828 minor (A) allele is associated with increased body mass index (BMI) but reduced incidence of type-2 and gestational diabetes mellitus. In this prospective cohort study of Māori and Pacific infants, nested within a nutritional intervention trial for pregnant women with obesity and without pregestational diabetes, we investigated whether the rs373863828 A allele is associated with differences in growth and body composition from birth to 12–18 months’ corrected age. Infants with and without the variant allele were compared using generalised linear models adjusted for potential confounding by gestation length, sex, ethnicity and parity, and in a secondary analysis, additionally adjusted for gestational diabetes. Carriage of the rs373863828 A allele was not associated with altered growth and body composition from birth to 6 months. At 12–18 months, infants with the rs373863828 A allele had lower whole-body fat mass [FM 1.4 (0.7) vs. 1.7 (0.7) kg, aMD −0.4, 95% CI −0.7, 0.0, P = 0.05; FM index 2.2 (1.1) vs. 2.6 (1.0) kg/m2 aMD −0.6, 95% CI −1.2,0.0, P = 0.04]. However, this association was not significant after adjustment for gestational diabetes, suggesting that it may be mediated, at least in part, by the beneficial effect of CREBRF rs373863828 A allele on maternal glycemic status.