For one variant (MC4R rs17782313), nominally significant interactions with sex were observed, where the associations between the genotypes and obesity measures were consistent with prior reports in females, but were inconclusive in males. None of the interaction P-values was robust to correction for multiple statistical comparisons, suggesting that these observations may be false-positive. Furthermore, no prior evidence of sex-effects at this locus has been reported. Nonetheless, it is important to highlight that some individuals in this cohort who underwent DEXA scans did so because they were athletes, had sustained recent injuries, or were concerned about skeletal health (10). Whether differences in the distributions of such factors by sex could underlie the interaction effects observed here is difficult to quantify owing to a lack of detailed information on these parameters.
