If stored cord blood was available, the methylation levels of proopiomelanocortin (POMC), the melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R), and hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4a; associated with metabolic syndrome) were assayed in participants in check-up examinations at the ages of 7-9 years. This evidence concerns the gene HNF4A and metabolic syndrome.