Catechol-O-Methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met Polymorphism and Eating Disorders: Data From a New Biobank and Meta-Analysis of Previously Published Studies

OBJECTIVES: We investigated whether catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism is associated with eating disorders (EDs). METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature search of studies published until 15 January 2017 and added data from the Italian 'Biobanca Veneta per i Disturbi Alimentari' biobank, performing a meta-analysis comparing COMT Val158Met genotype and allele frequencies in EDs and anorexia nervosa (AN) or bulimia nervosa (BN) patients versus controls. RESULTS: Ten studies plus Biobanca Veneta per i Disturbi Alimentari (ED: n = 920, controls: n = 261 controls) with 3541 ED patients (AN = 2388; BN = 233) and 3684 controls were included. There were no significant group differences in COMT Val158Met alleles and genotype frequencies between patients and controls, for all EDs pooled together [range of odds ratios (ORs): 0.96-1.04, p-values: 0.46-0.97, I2  = 0%] and when analysing separately patients with AN (ORs: 0.94-1.04, p-values: 0.31-0.61, I2  = 0%) or BN (ORs: 0.80-1.09, p-values: 0.28-0.64, I2  = 0-44%). CONCLUSIONS: Meta-analysing data results from 11 studies and 7225 subjects show that COMT Val158Met polymorphism is not associated with EDs.