FTO and obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency: Prior studies showed that Black individuals disproportionately experience heart disease mortality.23,24 A recent study highlighted the importance of exploring the circulating metabolome as a potential intermediary explaining differences between Black and White individuals regarding the associations between circulating metabolites and incident coronary heart disease.52 Our study indicated that independent of obesity phenotypes, FTO rs1121980: A had a significant direct association with heart disease in Black participants.