| Summary: | Salivary amylase (AMY1) is the most abundant enzyme in human saliva, responsible for the hydrolysis of α-1,4 glycosidic linkages that aids in the digestion of starch. Recently studies have shown that the copy number of AMY1 is associated with obesity; however, the data varies with location. One-third of children are overweight/obese in Alabama. In this study, we aim to determine the relationship between the copy number of <i>AMY1</i> gene and obesity measurements in children from Alabama. One hundred twenty-seven children aged between 6 to 10 years participated in this study. Anthropometric measurements were measured using WHO recommendations. Genomic DNA was extracted from saliva, and the copy number of the <i>AMY1</i> gene was estimated by digital PCR. The association between <i>AMY1</i> copy number and obesity measurements was analyzed by linear regression. The mean <i>AMY1</i> copy number significantly decreased in overweight/obese (6.21 ± 1.48) compared to normal weight (7.97 ± 2.35) children. <i>AMY1</i> copy number inversely associated with the obesity measurements. African Americans had a stronger association between low <i>AMY1</i> copy number and obesity compared to white/European Americans. Our findings suggest that overweight/obese children have a low <i>AMY1</i> copy number and the effect is more prominent in African Americans.
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