rs17817449
A SNP in the FTO gene on chromosome 16. Its most notable genotype is G;G: ~1.7x increased obesity risk
- Gene
- FTO
- Location
- Chr 1653,779,455 (GRCh38)
- Highest magnitude
- 0.0Typical
- Tested on
- 23andMe, AncestryDNA, FamilyTreeDNA
- Minor allele frequency
- 32%
Genotypes
As shown in 23andMe and AncestryDNA files.
On SNPedia: (G;G), (G;T), (T;T). Magnitude rates how notable a genotype is from 0 to 10, not how risky it is.
Frequency
Share of each genotype in 11 HapMap populations.
- AverageG;G 12% G;T 40% T;T 48%
- European ancestry (Utah)G;G 18% G;T 57% T;T 26%
- Han Chinese (Beijing)G;G 2% G;T 23% T;T 75%
- Japanese (Tokyo)G;G 3% G;T 32% T;T 66%
- Yoruba (Nigeria)G;G 16% G;T 47% T;T 37%
- African ancestry (Southwest US)G;G 21% G;T 44% T;T 35%
- Chinese (Denver)G;G 3% G;T 26% T;T 72%
- Gujarati IndianG;G 7% G;T 37% T;T 56%
- Luhya (Kenya)G;G 17% G;T 47% T;T 37%
- Mexican ancestry (Los Angeles)G;G 2% G;T 35% T;T 63%
- Maasai (Kenya)G;G 25% G;T 52% T;T 24%
- TuscanG;G 24% G;T 43% T;T 33%
Related
Conditions, medicines and genes
Other FTO SNPs
- rs1421085C;C~1.7x increased obesity riskImportant
- rs1121980A;AModerate increase (2.76x) in risk for obesityImportant
- rs9939609A;Aobesity risk and 1.6x risk for T2DImportant
- rs121918214A;GCarrier of a GDFD mutation (see text)Important
- rs16953002A;A1.32x increased risk of melanoma in those with low BMIMinor
- rs8050136A;A1.4x increased risk for T2D in some populationsMinor
- rs1558902A;AHigher BMI than normalTypical
- rs3751812G;GnormalTypical
Notes
From SNPedia
Show notes, about 560 words
Within the FTO gene, many SNPs appear to be co-inherited. The SNP showing the strongest association with body weight (i.e. body mass index, BMI) is not rs17817449, although this SNP is one of co-inherited SNPs in the FTO gene region. For more information, refer to the FTO gene or the most studied of FTO SNPs, rs9930506. A study of 900+ Quebec individuals reported that rs17817449 was associated with BMI (p=0.0014), weight (p=0.0059) and waist circumference (p=0.0021) under an additive model, and in addition, influenced fasting insulin (p=0.011) and HOMA-IR (p=0.038). * Note: The three FTO SNPs, rs1421085, rs17817449, and rs9939609, are in strong linkage disequilibrium (pairwise r 2 >0.97), and there are two primary haplotypes, C-G-A (42.0 %) and T-T-T (55.5 %). This SNP is also associated with adult obesity in Mexicans. rs1421085(C) and rs17817449(G) significantly associated with increased BMI. Our results suggest that FTO may be one of the worldwide obesity-risk genes. FTO polymorphisms in oceanic populations. FTO gene SNPs associated with extreme obesity in cases, controls and extremely discordant sister pairs. Regulation of Fto/Ftm gene expression in mice and humans. Common variation in the fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene confers risk of obesity and modulates BMI in the Chinese population. FTO variants are associated with obesity in the Chinese and Malay populations in Singapore. Fat mass-and obesity-associated (FTO) gene variant is associated with obesity: longitudinal analyses in two cohort studies and functional test. The FTO gene and obesity in a large Eastern European population sample: the HAPIEE study. FTO gene variation and measures of body mass in an African population. Long-range gene regulation links genomic type 2 diabetes and obesity risk regions to HHEX, SOX4, and IRX3. A FTO variant and risk of acute coronary syndrome. The genetics of obesity: FTO leads the way. A commonly carried allele of the obesity-related FTO gene is associated with reduced brain volume in the healthy elderly. Common SNPs in FTO gene are associated with obesity related anthropometric traits in an island population from the eastern Adriatic coast of Croatia. Risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity is differentially associated with variation in FTO in whites and African-Americans in the ARIC study. Analysis of FTO gene variants with obesity and glucose homeostasis measures in the multiethnic Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study cohort. FTO and MC4R gene variants are associated with obesity in polycystic ovary syndrome. FTO polymorphisms are associated with adult body mass index (BMI) and colorectal adenomas in African-Americans. Rs9939609 variant of the fat mass and obesity-associated gene and trunk obesity in adolescents. The FTO gene polymorphism is associated with end-stage renal disease: two large independent case-control studies in a general population. Association of FTO rs17817449 SNP with obesity and associated physiological parameters in a north Indian population. Lack of an association between three tagging SNPs within the FTO gene and smoking behavior. Variants of the FTO gene in obese children and their impact on body composition and metabolism before and after lifestyle intervention. Appetite regulation genes are associated with body mass index in black South African adolescents: a genetic association study.
Source and license
Adapted from rs17817449 on SNPedia, using a snapshot taken October 16, 2026. SNPedia content is shared under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US, and this page is shared under the same license.
SNPedia is a community-edited wiki. Its entries can be incomplete, out of date or wrong, and nothing here is a diagnosis or medical advice. Magnitude is a community rating of how interesting a genotype is, not a risk score.