Gender did not differ between groups (males 21.8% and 31.4% in the control and study groups, respectively, P = 0.4), nor did other reported chronic medical diagnoses (that have no known reported effect on serum I-FABP levels), including asthma, diabetes mellitus, eosinophilic esophagitis, hypothyroidism, and thalassemia minor (9% versus 11%, P = 1). This evidence concerns the gene FABP2 and hypothyroidism.