Implication of genetic variants in overweight and obesity susceptibility among the young Arab population of the United Arab Emirates.

Objective: Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer. Genetic predisposition has been shown to play a key role in obesity, and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified multiple loci linked with obesity in various ethnic groups. The aim of this study was to validate the reported genetic variants associated with obesity and overweight in a young UAE Arab population.