Association between the Pro12Ala polymorphism of PPAR-γ gene and the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A meta-analysis

• The association of Pro12Ala polymorphism with NAFLD risk was system evaluated.
• We used pooled OR with 95% CI to estimate for each study.
• The Pro12Ala polymorphism is not association with NAFLD risk in Asians.
• The Pro12Ala polymorphism is not association with NAFLD risk in Caucasians.

Several studies have been conducted to examine the association between PPAR-γ2 Pro12Ala polymorphism and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but the results remain inconsistent. In this study, a meta-analysis was performed to assess the association of PPAR-γ Pro12Ala polymorphism with NAFLD risk. A total of 8 case–control studies, including 1697 cases and 2427 controls, were selected. Pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated using fixed- or random-effects model. Overall, no evidence has indicated that the Pro12Ala polymorphism was associated with the susceptibility to NAFLD. Besides, stratified analysis with ethnicity also indicated that no significant association between PPAR-γ Pro12Ala and the risk of NAFLD under all for genetic model in both Asian and Caucasian populations was observed. This meta-analysis indicated that the Pro12Ala polymorphism is not associated with NAFLD risk. Large and well-designed studies are warranted to validate our findings.