Neuropeptide Y associated with asthma in young adults Highlights • Asthma is an inherited airway disease with strong genetic risk. • A promising candidate gene is the Neuropeptide Y(NPY) • This study shows NPY gene polymorphisms are independently linked to asthma risk. Abstract Objective Neuropeptide Y, a widely circulating Neurotransmitter, plays a pivotal role in energy balance, immunomodulation and asthma, and several NPY polymorphisms are promising genetic risk factors for asthma and obesity. We explored the associations of candidate NPY gene polymorphisms with prevalent asthma and its relationship with obesity in young adult asthma patients free of other chronic medical morbidity. Methods Five common gene variants of NPY (rs16147 (− 399T/C), rs17149106 (− 602G/T), rs16140 (+ 1000C/G), rs5573 (+ 1201A/G), rs5574 (+ 5327C/T)) previously validated to account for most of the NPY expression In vitro and i...