The Leu72Met (+408C>A) polymorphic variant of the preproghrelin, the gene for the ghrelin precursor, has been linked to obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
The Leu72Met variant was also associated with increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome (23.2 vs. 13.4%; age- and sex-adjusted odds ratio = 2.57; P = 0.02) as well as higher fasting glucose, lower high-density lipoprotein, and higher triglyceride levels (P = 0.02, P = 0.007, and P = 0.04, respectively).