The association between angiotensin converting enzyme gene polymorphism and obesity: A meta-analysis and systematic review

Abstract

Background The association between angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene polymorphisms and obesity has been widely studied, yet findings remain inconsistent. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between ACE gene insertion-deletion (I/D) polymorphism and obesity.Methods A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science databases without any restriction on publication year up to December 2024. English-language observational studies (cross-sectional, case-control, or cohort) that evaluated the relationship between obesity risk and ACE I/D gene polymorphism were included. Only English-language observational studies (cross-sectional, case-control, and cohort) that evaluated the association between ACE gene I/D polymorphism and obesity risk were selected.Results A total of 46 eligible studies were included. Significant differences in mean body mass index (BMI) were observed across genotypes. Individuals with the D/D genotype had a higher mean BMI compared to those with the D/I (MD = 0.23, 95 CI: 0.03-0.44) and I/I (MD = 0.30, 95 CI: 0.07-0.52) genotypes, indicating a strong association between specific ACE genotypes and BMI variation.Conclusion The D/D genotype and D allele appear to be risk factors for elevated BMI and obesity.