Nutrigenetics and metabolic disease: current status and implications for personalised nutrition

Genetics, Nutrition, and Health: A New Frontier in Disease Prevention

The field of nutrition research has traditionally focused on the effects of macronutrients and micronutrients on the body. However, it has become evident that individuals have unique genetic makeups that influence their response to food. Nutritional genomics, which includes nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics, explores the interaction between an individual's genetic makeup, diet, and health outcomes. Nutrigenetics studies the impact of genetic variation on an individual's response to dietary nutrients, while nutrigenomics investigates how dietary components affect gene regulation and expression. These disciplines seek to understand the impact of diet on the genome, transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome. It provides insights into the mechanisms underlying the effect of diet on gene expression. Nutrients can cause the modification of genetic expression through epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation and histone modifications. The aim of nutrigenomics is to create personalized diets based on the unique metabolic profile of an individual, gut microbiome, and genetic makeup to prevent diseases and promote health. Nutrigenomics has the potential to revolutionize the field of nutrition by combining the practicality of personalized nutrition with knowledge of genetic factors underlying health and disease. Thus, nutrigenomics offers a promising approach to improving health outcomes (in terms of disease prevention) through personalized nutrition strategies based on an individual's genetic and metabolic characteristics.

Gene-Diet Interactions on Metabolic Disease-Related Outcomes in Southeast Asian Populations: A Systematic Review

Diabetes and obesity are chronic diseases that are a burden to low- and middle-income countries. We conducted this systematic review to understand gene-diet interactions affecting the Southeast Asian population's risk of obesity and diabetes. The literature search was performed on Google Scholar and MEDLINE (PubMed) search engines independently by four reviewers who evaluated the eligibility of articles based on inclusion criteria. Out of 19,031 articles, 20 articles examining gene-diet interactions on obesity and/or diabetes-related traits met the inclusion criteria. Three (Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore) out of eleven Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries have conducted studies on gene-diet interactions on obesity and diabetes. From the 20 selected articles, the most common interactions were observed between macronutrients and genetic risk score (GRS) on metabolic disease-related traits in the Malay, Chinese, and Indian ethnicities. Overall, we identified 29 significant gene-diet interactions in the Southeast Asian population. The results of this systematic review demonstrate ethnic-specific gene-nutrient interactions on metabolic-disease-related traits in the Southeast Asian population. This is the first systematic review to explore gene-diet interactions on obesity and diabetes in the Southeast Asian population and further research using larger sample sizes is required for better understanding and framing nutrigenetic approaches for personalized nutrition.

Dissecting the Molecular Role of ADIPOQ SNPs in Saudi Women Diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

The traditional definition of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is the leading cause of carbohydrate intolerance in hyperglycemia of varying severity, with onset or initial detection during pregnancy. Previous studies have reported a relationship among obesity, adiponectin (ADIPOQ), and diabetes in Saudi Arabia. ADIPOQ is an adipokine that is produced and secreted by adipose tissue involved in the regulation of carbohydrate and fatty acid metabolism. This study investigated the molecular association between rs1501299, rs17846866, and rs2241766 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ADIPOQ and GDM in Saudi Arabia. Patients with GDM and control patients were selected, and serum and molecular analyses were performed. Statistical analyses were performed on clinical data, Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium, genotype and allele frequencies, multiple logistic regression, ANOVA, haplotype, linkage disequilibrium, as well as MDR and GMDR analyses. The clinical data showed significant differences in various parameters between the GDM and non-GDM groups (p < 0.05). In GDM women with alleles, genotypes, and different genetic models, the rs1501299 and rs2241766 SNPs showed a strong association (p < 0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed a negative correlation (p > 0.05). This study concluded that rs1501299 and rs2241766 SNPs were strongly associated with GDM in women in Saudi Arabia.

Advances in Nutrigenomics and Applications in Public Health: A Recent Update

Nutrition research is achieving new paradigms through recent advances in the field of Nutrigenomics. The application of genomic principles for the identification of relationships between certain specific nutrients with genetic factors is termed “Nutrigenomics”. This knowledge is essential to understanding the risk factors behind diet-related chronic degenerative diseases, which further helps resolve the underlying mechanism of genetic predisposition. Advances in Sciences associated with the study of genes have assisted in developing a deep insight into genetic variants, and gene expression patterns to work out therapeutic responses toward chronic degenerative diseases associated with Public Health. To appraise recent advances in Nutrigenomics with its application in Public health several databases including Pub Med, Google Scholar, Medline etc were investigated in detail. A total of 72 relevant peer-reviewed journal articles were included in this review paper. Nutrigenomics has an important role in comprehending how homeostatic control is maintained and the way metabolic pathways are influenced by nutrient intake. The knowledge of Nutrigenomics helps in working out personalized nutrition strategies for both prevention and management of the diseased situation. The present review article aims to investigate and present a piece of in-depth information about the latest Advances in Nutrigenomics and its application in public health.

Nutrigenomics: Perceptions of South African Dietitians and General Practitioners

INTRODUCTION

Although investigations into the emerging field of nutrigenomics are relatively limited and more research in this field is required, experts agree that there is potential for it to be incorporated into health care practice. If health care professionals can promote healthy dietary behavior based on nutrigenomic testing, it can assist in addressing the health consequences of poor diet and lightning the strain on the South African health care system.

METHODS

Registered dietitians (RDs) and general practitioners (GPs) registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) who obtained their qualification in South Africa (SA) were eligible to participate in this cross-sectional study. Participants were identified using convenience and snowball sampling. A self-administered electronic survey using EvaSys Software® was completed by those that agreed to participate.

RESULTS

Nearly all RDs (97.3%), but less than a third of GPs (30.4%), had heard of the term nutrigenomics. Approximately three-quarters of RDs (74.7%) and GPs (73.9%) had or would personally consider undergoing genetic testing. More than 40% (43.5%) of RDs ranked direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies as the most equipped, while 31.8% of GPs ranked RDs as the most equipped to provide patients with nutrigenomic services. Both RDs and GPs ranked similar reasons as "strongly agree" for why consumers were motivated to make use of nutrigenomic services, which included "motivated by a desire to prevent or manage disease" (56.7%), "prevent a disease based on family history" (65.9%), "control health outcomes based on family history" (54.9%), and "improve overall health-related quality of life" (48.6%). Cost concerns were reported as the greatest barrier to implementing nutrigenomic services (75.7%). Other barriers included confidentiality issues (47.8%) and moral concerns (37.3%). Greater individualization of diet prescription (66.5%), stronger foundations for nutrition recommendations (62.4%), and dietary prescriptions that would manage or prevent certain diseases more effectively (59.0%) were all perceived as benefits of including nutrigenomics in practice.

CONCLUSION

This study identified perceived consumer motivators and barriers that might affect the willingness to seek nutrigenomic services in SA. In addition, the need for more nutrigenomic training opportunities, including the planning of personalized diets based on genetic testing results and interpretation of results, was confirmed. However, both RDs and GPs felt that the emerging field of nutrigenomics needs further development before it can be applied effectively in routine private and public health care in SA.

In the context of the triple burden of malnutrition: A systematic review of gene-diet interactions and nutritional status

Genetic background interacts with dietary components to modulate nutritional health status. This study aimed to review the evidence for gene-diet interactions in all forms of malnutrition. A comprehensive systematic literature search was conducted through April 2021 to identify observational and intervention studies reporting the effects of gene-diet interactions in over-nutrition, under-nutrition and micronutrient status. Risk of publication bias was assessed using the Quality Criteria Checklist and a tool specifically designed for gene-diet interaction research. 167 studies from 27 populations were included. The majority of studies investigated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in overnutrition (n = 158). Diets rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruits and low in total and saturated fats, such as Mediterranean and DASH diets, showed promising effects for reducing obesity risk among individuals who had higher genetic risk scores for obesity, particularly the risk alleles carriers of FTO rs9939609, rs1121980 and rs1421085. Other SNPs in MC4R, PPARG and APOA5 genes were also commonly studied for interaction with diet on overnutrition though findings were inconclusive. Only limited data were found related to undernutrition (n = 1) and micronutrient status (n = 9). The findings on gene-diet interactions in this review highlight the importance of personalized nutrition, and more research on undernutrition and micronutrient status is warranted.

Nutrigenomics in livestock sector and its human-animal interface-a review

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Nutrigenomics unfolds the link between nutrition and gene expression for productivity.expression profile of intramuscular.

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Nutrigenomics helps scientists discover genes and DNA in each animal's cell or tissue by assisting them in selecting nutrients.

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It brings out the importance of micronutrition for increasing animal production.

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Nutrigenomics integrates nutrition, molecular biology, genomics, bioinformatics, molecular medicine, and epidemiology.

Noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, and cancer now outnumber all other health ailments in humans globally due to abrupt changes in lifestyle following the industrial revolution. The industrial revolution has also intensified livestock farming, resulting in an increased demand for productivity and stressed animals. The livestock industry faces significant challenges from a projected sharp increase in global food and high animal protein demand. Nutrition genomics holds great promise for the future as its advances have opened up a whole new world of disease understanding and prevention. Nutrigenomics is the study of the interactions between genes and diet. It investigates molecular relationships between nutrients and genes to identify how even minor modifications could potentially alter animal and human health/performance by using techniques like proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics. Dietary modifications mostly studied in livestock focus mainly on health and production traits through protein, fat, mineral, and vitamin supplementation changes. Nutrigenomics meticulously selects nutrients for fine-tuning the expression of genes that match animal/human genotypes for better health, productivity, and the environment. As a step forward, nutrigenomics integrates nutrition, molecular biology, genomics, bioinformatics, molecular medicine, and epidemiology to better understand the role of food as an epigenetic factor in the occurrence of these diseases. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the fundamental concepts, latest advances, and studies in the field of nutrigenomics, emphasizing the interaction of diet with gene expression, and how it relates to human and animal health along with its human-animal interphase.

Caveolin-1 genetic polymorphism interacts with PUFA to modulate metabolic syndrome risk

Several studies have reported a significant association between the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and mortality around the world. Caveolin-1 (CAV-1) has been widely studied in dyslipidaemia, and several studies have indicated that CAV-1 genetic variations may correlate with dietary intake of fatty acids. This study aimed to investigate the interaction of CAV-1 rs3807992 with types of dietary fatty acid in the MetS risk. This cross-sectional study was carried out on 404 overweight and obese females. Dietary intake was obtained from a 147-item FFQ. The CAV-1 genotype was measured using the PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Anthropometric values and serum levels (TC, LDL, HDL, TAG and FBS) were measured by standard methods. It was observed that the (AA + AG) group had significantly higher BMI, waist circumference and DBP (P = 0·02, P = 0·02, and P = 0·01, respectively) and lower serum LDL, HDL and TC (P < 0·05) than the GG group. It was found that A allele carriers were at higher odds of the MetS (P = 0·01), abdominal obesity (P = 0·06), increased TAG concentration (P = 0·01), elevated blood pressure (BP) (P = 0·01), increased glucose concentration (P = 0·45) and decreased HDL-cholesterol concentration (P = 0·03). Moreover, the interaction of CAV-1 and SFA intake was significant in terms of the MetS (P = 0·03), LDL (P = 0·03) and BP (P = 0·01). Additionally, the (AA + AG) group was significantly related to PUFA intake in terms of the MetS (P = 0·04), TAG (P = 0·02), glucose (P = 0·02) and homoeostasis model assessment insulin resistance (P = 0·01). Higher PUFA consumption might attenuate the CAV-1 rs3807992 associations with the MetS, and individuals with greater genetic predisposition appeared to have a higher risk of the MetS, associated with higher SFA consumption.

Construction of a Health Management Model for Early Identification of Ischaemic Stroke in Cloud Computing

Knowledge discovery and cloud computing can help early identification of ischaemic stroke and provide intelligent, humane, and preventive healthcare services for patients at high risk of stroke. This study proposes constructing a health management model for early identification and warning of ischaemic stroke based on IoT and cloud computing, and discusses its connotation, constructive ideas, and research content so as to provide reference for its health management in order to develop and implement countermeasures and to compare the awareness of early stroke symptoms and first aid knowledge among stroke patients and their families before and after the activity. The rate of awareness of early symptoms and first aid among stroke patients and their families increased from 36% to 78%, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05) before and after the activity.

A Systematic Review of Literature on the Representation of Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups in Clinical Nutrition Interventions

The racial and ethnic disparities in diet-related chronic diseases are major concerns. This systematic review examines the extent to which diet-induced changes in health outcomes, such as cardiometabolic, inflammation, cancer, bone health, and kidney function outcomes, etc., have been reported and discussed by race or ethnicity in randomized trials with 2 or more diet arms that recruited both minority and non-Hispanic White groups. Databases (i.e., PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science) were searched up to August 2021. Thirty-four studies that discussed effects of defined dietary interventions on health outcomes by racial or ethnic minority group compared with non-Hispanic Whites were included in the systematic review (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021229256). Acute trials and those with 1 diet arm that accounted for race or ethnicity in their analyses and studies that focused on a single racial or ethnic group were discussed separately. Most studies were conducted in Black compared with White adults testing effects of energy restriction, macronutrient modification, sodium reduction, or variations of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet on cardiometabolic outcomes. There was limited focus on other minority groups. Evidence suggests greater blood pressure reduction for Black adults compared with Whites particularly with DASH (or similar) diets. Overall, there was limited consideration for group-specific eating patterns and diet acceptability. Overall risk of bias was low. With emerging precision nutrition initiatives that aim to optimize metabolic responses in population subgroups through tailored approaches, it is imperative to ensure adequate representation of racial and ethnic subgroups for addressing health disparities. Factors that help explain variability in responses such as socioecological context should be included and adequately powered. Given the racial and ethnic disparities in chronic diseases, studying the adoption, maintenance, and effectiveness of dietary interventions on health outcomes among different groups is critical for developing approaches that can mitigate diet-related health disparities.

Influence of the Bioactive Diet Components on the Gene Expression Regulation

Diet bioactive components, in the concept of nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics, consist of food constituents, which can transfer information from the external environment and influence gene expression in the cell and thus the function of the whole organism. It is crucial to regard food not only as the source of energy and basic nutriments, crucial for living and organism development, but also as the factor influencing health/disease, biochemical mechanisms, and activation of biochemical pathways. Bioactive components of the diet regulate gene expression through changes in the chromatin structure (including DNA methylation and histone modification), non-coding RNA, activation of transcription factors by signalling cascades, or direct ligand binding to the nuclear receptors. Analysis of interactions between diet components and human genome structure and gene activity is a modern approach that will help to better understand these relations and will allow designing dietary guidances, which can help maintain good health.

Genome-wide analysis in Drosophila reveals diet-by-gene interactions and uncovers diet-responsive genes

Genetic and environmental factors play a major role in metabolic health. However, they do not act in isolation, as a change in an environmental factor such as diet may exert different effects based on an individual’s genotype. Here, we sought to understand how such gene–diet interactions influenced nutrient storage and utilization, a major determinant of metabolic disease. We subjected 178 inbred strains from the Drosophila genetic reference panel (DGRP) to diets varying in sugar, fat, and protein. We assessed starvation resistance, a holistic phenotype of nutrient storage and utilization that can be robustly measured. Diet influenced the starvation resistance of most strains, but the effect varied markedly between strains such that some displayed better survival on a high carbohydrate diet (HCD) compared to a high-fat diet while others had opposing responses, illustrating a considerable gene × diet interaction. This demonstrates that genetics plays a major role in diet responses. Furthermore, heritability analysis revealed that the greatest genetic variability arose from diets either high in sugar or high in protein. To uncover the genetic variants that contribute to the heterogeneity in starvation resistance, we mapped 566 diet-responsive SNPs in 293 genes, 174 of which have human orthologs. Using whole-body knockdown, we identified two genes that were required for glucose tolerance, storage, and utilization. Strikingly, flies in which the expression of one of these genes, CG4607 a putative homolog of a mammalian glucose transporter, was reduced at the whole-body level, displayed lethality on a HCD. This study provides evidence that there is a strong interplay between diet and genetics in governing survival in response to starvation, a surrogate measure of nutrient storage efficiency and obesity. It is likely that a similar principle applies to higher organisms thus supporting the case for nutrigenomics as an important health strategy.

Metabolic syndrome screening using visceral adipose tissue (VAT) from opportunistic MRI locations in a multi-ethnic population

OBJECTIVE

To determine if visceral adipose tissue (VAT) area measured through MRI can be used opportunistically to assess the presence of cardiometabolic risk factors and compare its performance to simpler adiposity measures.

METHODS

A cross-sectional analysis was carried out on a subset of 1683 participants (856 women) from the Adiposity Phenotype Study (mean age=69.2y; range 59.9-77.4). The association of total VAT area (sum of four cross sections, L1-L2, L2-L3, L3-L4, L4-L5) and each location, as well as BMI and body fat % (per SD) with the metabolic syndrome (MetSx) or its components was evaluated through logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Total VAT can be accurately predicted using all sites evaluated (R² range=0.82-0.96). In men, VAT did not show a superior association to MetSx compared to BMI in men. However, in women, VAT was consistently superior to BMI and body fat % in its association to MetSx, independent of ethnicity [odds ratio for BMI, body fat %and total VAT area=2.25 (95% CI: 1.93-2.62); 1.66 (95% CI: 1.36-2.03); 6.20 (95% CI: 4.69-8.21) respectively in all women]. Ethnic-specific odds ratios to MetSx in women ranged from 5.38 to 8.63 for total VAT area and 2.12-4.08 for BMI.

CONCLUSION

Total VAT area can be accurately predicted from individual VAT regions in men and women and offers superior association to BMI for MetSx in women but not in men for five ethnicities. Therefore, opportunistic screening for elevated VAT area in women may be warranted across multiple ethnic groups.

Nutrigenomics for the prevention and treatment diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that manifest itself hyperglycemia It is estimated that about 422 million people worldwide are affected by this disease. Great hopes in the prevention and support of pharmacological treatment of diabetes are associated with a new scientific discipline, which is nutrigenomics. Lowering the reports in the field of physiology, bromatology, genomics, proteomics, biochemistry or epigenetics, this field searches for and explains the interactions of genes with food components at the molecular level. The article presents the most important information on the bioactive effects of food (flavonoids, amino acids, vitamins, fatty acids) on the expression of genes connected with secretion/action of insulin and the metabolism of the glucose in the body. The article discusses the functions of genes that work on the pathogenesis of diabetes development, and presents experimental models in empirical research. In addition, it article presents the importance of epigenetic factor in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus, as well as basic informations in the field of its diagnosis and differentiation.

Proteomic and Structural Manifestations of Cardiomyopathy in Rat Models of Obesity and Weight Loss

Obesity cardiomyopathy increases the risk of heart failure and death. Obesity is curable, leading to the restoration of the heart phenotype, but it is not clear if there are any after-effects of obesity present after weight loss. We characterize the proteomic landscape of obesity cardiomyopathy with an evaluation of whether the cardiac phenotype is still shaped after weight loss. Cardiomyopathy was validated by cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, oversized myocytes, and mTOR upregulation in a rat model of cafeteria diet-induced developmental obesity. By global proteomic techniques (LC-MS/MS) a plethora of molecular changes was observed in the heart and circulation of obese animals, suggesting abnormal utilization of metabolic substrates. This was confirmed by increased levels of cardiac ACSL-1, a key enzyme for fatty acid degradation and decreased GLUT-1, a glucose transporter in obese rats. Calorie restriction and weight loss led to the normalization of the heart's size, but fibrosis was still excessive. The proteomic compositions of cardiac tissue and plasma were different after weight loss as compared to control. In addition to morphological consequences, obesity cardiomyopathy involves many proteomic changes. Weight loss provides for a partial repair of the heart's architecture, but the trace of fibrotic deposition and proteomic alterations may occur.

A DNA-Based Intelligent Expert System for Personalised Skin-Health Recommendations

Intensive attention on personalised skin-health solutions is on account of incomparable love of skin and an urgent need for effective treatment. In the meanwhile, people have great expectations on how to utilise genetic knowledge of our body to provide a precise solution for different individuals, such as daily use of skin-health products, since the rapid development of genetic test services and skin-health science. However, the complexity of multi-modal data, the establishment of correlations between consumer genetic data and product ingredients are the main obstacles encountered today. Determining to settle such obstacles, a personalised recommendation expert system for selecting optimised skin-health product within the category based upon genetic phenotypes for each consumer was introduced in this article. Random Forests were implemented to achieve automatic product categorisation, the performance discussed and compared with SVM and Logistic Regression. Lastly, categorised skin-health product suggestion was made with an optimised recommendation model based on associated genetic phenotype information. Potential changes (up to 71.0% more phenotypic relevant ingredients) from experiments using real product data were demonstrated and compared with imitated cases of real-life human selections.

Metabolic Health in Obese Subjects-Is There a Link to Lactoferrin and Lactoferrin Receptor-Related Gene Polymorphisms?

This study aimed to evaluate the association of genetic variants in lactoferrin (LTF) metabolism-related genes with the prevalence of metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUHO). In total, 161 MHO and 291 MUHO subjects were recruited to the study. The following polymorphisms were genotyped: low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) 2 rs2544390, LRP1 rs4759277, LRP1 rs1799986, LTF rs1126477, LTF rs2239692 and LTF rs1126478. We found significant differences in the genotype frequencies of LTF rs2239692 between MHO and MUHO subjects, with the CT variant associated with lower odds of developing metabolic syndrome than the TT variant. In the total population, significant differences in body weight and waist circumference (WC) were identified between LTF rs1126477 gene variants. A similar association with WC was observed in MUHO subjects, while significant differences in body mass index and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were discovered between LTF rs1126477 gene variants in MHO subjects. Besides, there were significant differences in diastolic blood pressure between LRP1 rs1799986 gene variants in MUHO subjects, as well as in WC and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels between LRP1 rs4759277 gene variants in MHO subjects. In conclusion, selected lactoferrin and lactoferrin receptor-related gene variants may be associated with the prevalence of metabolically healthy or metabolically unhealthy obesity.

Models Integrating Genetic and Lifestyle Interactions on Two Adiposity Phenotypes for Personalized Prescription of Energy-Restricted Diets With Different Macronutrient Distribution

Aim: To analyze the influence of genetics and interactions with environmental factors on adiposity outcomes [waist circumference reduction (WCR) and total body fat loss (TFATL)] in response to energy-restricted diets in subjects with excessive body weight.

Materials and Methods: Two hypocaloric diets (30% energy restriction) were prescribed to overweight/obese subjects during 16 weeks, which had different targeted macronutrient distribution: a low-fat (LF) diet (22% energy from lipids) and a moderately high-protein (MHP) diet (30% energy from proteins). At the end of the trial, a total of 201 participants (LF diet = 105; MHP diet = 96) who presented good/regular dietary adherence were genotyped for 95 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) previously associated with weight loss through next-generation sequencing from oral samples. Four unweighted (uGRS) and four weighted (wGRS) genetic risk scores were computed using statistically relevant SNPs for each outcome by diet. Predictions of WCR and TFATL by diet were modeled through recognized multiple linear regression models including genetic (single SNPs, uGRS, and wGRS), phenotypic (age, sex, and WC, or TFAT at baseline), and environment variables (physical activity level and energy intake at baselines) as well as eventual interactions between genes and environmental factors.

Results: Overall, 26 different SNPs were associated with differential adiposity outcomes, 9 with WCR and 17 with TFATL, most of which were specific for each dietary intervention. In addition to conventional predictors (age, sex, lifestyle, and adiposity status at baseline), the calculated uGRS/wGRS and interactions with environmental factors were major contributors of adiposity responses. Thus, variances in TFATL-LF diet, TFATL-MHP diet, WCR-LF diet, and WCR-MHP diet were predicted by approximately 38% (optimism-corrected adj. R² = 0.3792), 32% (optimism-corrected adj. R² = 0.3208), 22% (optimism-corrected adj. R² = 0.2208), and 21% (optimism-corrected adj. R² = 0.2081), respectively.

Conclusions: Different genetic variants and interactions with environmental factors modulate the differential individual responses to MHP and LF dietary interventions. These insights and models may help to optimize personalized nutritional strategies for modeling the prevention and management of excessive adiposity through precision nutrition approaches taking into account not only genetic information but also the lifestyle/clinical factors that interplay in addition to age and sex.

Gut Microbiota, Host Organism, and Diet Trialogue in Diabetes and Obesity

The gastrointestinal tract with its microbiota is a complex, open, and integrated ecosystem with a high environmental exposure. It is widely accepted that the healthy gut microbiotais essential for host homeostasis and immunostasis, harboring an enormous number and variety of microorganisms and genes tailored by hundreds of exogenous and intrinsic host factors. The occurrence of dysbiosis may contribute to host vulnerability and progression to a large spectrum of infectious and non-communicable diseases, including diabetes and obesity, two metabolic disorders that are showing an endemic trend nowadays. There is an urgent need to develop efficient strategies to prevent and treat metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity which are often associated with serious complications. In this paper, we give an overview on the implications of gut microbiota in diabesity, with a focus on the triangle gut microbiota—diet-host metabolism and on the way to manipulate the gut microbial ecosystem toward achieving novel diagnosis and predictive biomarkers with the final goal of reestablishing the healthy metabolic condition. The current research data regarding the precision/personalized nutrition suggest that dietary interventions, including administration of pre-, pro-, and syn-biotics, as well as antibiotic treatment should be individually tailored to prevent chronic diseases based on the genetic background, food and beverage consumption, nutrient intake, microbiome, metabolome, and other omic profiles.

Current knowledge and interest of French Canadians regarding nutrigenetics

Objective

The purpose of this study was to draw a global portrait of the current knowledge and interest regarding nutrigenetics in a population of French Canadians from the province of Quebec (Canada).

Methods

A total of 2238 residents from the province of Quebec, Canada, were recruited via social networks and from the Laval University employee/student lists to participate in a 37-question online survey on nutrigenetics.

Results

Most participants were not familiar with the term “nutrigenetics” (82.7%). Participants with good genetic literacy (26.8%) were less interested in nutrigenetic testing (p < 0.0001). The vast majority of participants (90.7%) reported to be willing to follow a personalised diet based on nutrigenetic testing, especially if they came to know themselves as carriers of a polymorphism increasing the risk of certain diseases. Participants had a higher interest in testing related to metabolic response to macronutrients (types of sugars, fats and proteins) than to micronutrients or other nutrients related to food intolerance.

Conclusions

The attitude of French Canadians about nutrigenetics is very consistent with the results from other surveys published in the literature. Although few individuals are familiar with nutrigenetics, the public’s attitude towards nutrigenetics is globally favourable.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12263-019-0629-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Can the choice of diet undermine the potential genetic risk of AT1R 1166A>C gene polymorphism?

BACKGROUND

Angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) gene 1166A>C polymorphism is strongly associated with the incidence of cardiovascular diseases and predicts the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS). There is little information about the gene-diet interactions associated with MetS. This investigation examined the interaction between dietary patterns and AT1R polymorphism in relation to development risk of MetS.

METHODS

A prospective, non-interventional, case-control study included 265 MetS patients and 262 healthy controls in an adult population from Croatia. Collected data included clinical variables, type of diet (Mediterranean, continental and mixed), biochemical tests and AT1R genotyping. AT1R 1166A>C genotyping was performed by PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism methods. To examine gene-diet interactions, a total predictive model was built using a hierarchical backward elimination approach.

RESULTS

Participants on Continental-diet were nearly 20 times more likely to have MetS than those on Mediterranean or mixed diet (OR = 19.96; 95% CI 10.44-38.18). In multivariate prediction, control subjects with AT1R 1166AC or CC genotype had a higher risk for high triglycerides compared to the AA genotype carriers. 1166AC or CC genotype carriers more often chose Mediterranean or mixed-diet versus 1166AA genotype carriers whose choice often was continental diet.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results are the first to suggest the possibility that the choice of diet can undermine the potential genetic risk of the AT1R polymorphism as polymorphism carriers may spontaneously choose the Mediterranean-diet.

Pistachio Consumption Prevents and Improves Lipid Dysmetabolism by Reducing the Lipid Metabolizing Gene Expression in Diet-Induced Obese Mice

Pistachios contain beneficial substances such as unsaturated fatty acids, phytosterols, and polyphenols. In the present study, we investigated if pistachio consumption is able to prevent or to revert hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, hepatic steatosis, and adipose tissue morphological alterations caused by high fat diet (HFD) in the mouse. Moreover, the impact of pistachio intake on the mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ), fatty acid transport proteins (FAT-P), fatty acid synthase (FAS), stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD1), and sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor-1c (SREBP-1c) in liver and adipose tissue was also analyzed. No change in body weight, food intake, and hyperglycemia was observed between mice consuming pistachios (HFD-P) and HFD mice. Pistachio intake was able to prevent but not to reverse HFD-induced hypertriglyceridemia. Cholesterol plasma levels, steatosis grading, body fat mass, and adipocyte size were significantly lower in HFD-P group compared to HFD in both prevention and reversal protocol. Pistachio-diet was able to prevent HFD-induced overexpression of PPAR-γ, FAS, and SCD1 in the liver and SREBP-1c, PPAR-γ, and FAT-P in adipose tissue. Similarly, HFD-P significantly ameliorated the expression levels of FAT-P and SCD1 in the liver and SREBP-1c, FAS, and SCD1 in adipose tissue of obese mice. The present study shows that pistachio consumption is able to prevent and to ameliorate obesity-related dysfunctions by positively modulating the expression of genes linked to lipid metabolism.

Effects of a long-term smartphone-based self-monitoring intervention in patients with lipid metabolism disorders

The majority of lipid metabolism disorders can be managed well if patients adhere to their therapies. Self-monitoring can drive adherence with regards to medication intake, physical activities, and nutrition. Technical devices like smartphones can further support its users to achieve health-related goals. In a clinical trial, 100 patients with lipid metabolism disorders were asked to use a smartphone application over a duration of 12 months. Users of this app could set reminders to keep track of their medication and other disease-related variables, such as weight and cholesterol. More than half of all patients that started to use the app continued to use the app over the full 12 months. However, 43% of the patients that were asked to use the app stated that they never started to use the app. The reasons cited were lack of time, health problems, lack of motivation, and technical problems. The number of patients with high medication adherence increased significantly due to the use of the app. Health apps might benefit patients by enabling them to better manage chronic diseases, but successful digital health concepts will need to address efficient onboarding as well as long-term motivation.

Comparison of the effect of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet with usual dietary advice on expression of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor gamma gene in women: A randomized controlled clinical trial

BACKGROUND

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) which controls body weight, glucose homeostasis, and adipocyte differentiation is a valuable candidate gene for insulin resistance (IR). The present study aimed to compare the effects of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and usual dietary advice (UDA) on PPAR-γ gene expression in women at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD).

METHODS

This randomized controlled trial was performed on 44 women aged 20-50 years at risk for CVD (BMI > 25 kg/m2 and low physical activity). Participants were randomly assigned to the UDA (n = 22) or DASH (n = 22) diets for 12 weeks. The DASH diet was rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products and low in saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol, refined grains and sweets, with a total of 2400 mg/day sodium. The UDA diet was a regular diet with healthy dietary advice. Anthropometric indices and PPAR-γ gene expression were measured and compared between the two groups at the end of the study.

RESULTS

After the intervention, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) significantly decreased in the DASH group (P < 0.050) but the results showed no significant differences between the two groups. At the end of the trial, PPAR-γ gene expression was significantly different between the UDA and the DASH diet groups (P = 0.040) and this difference remained significant after adjustment for BMI, and physical activity (P = 0.030).

CONCLUSION

The result of the study showed that the DASH diet significantly decreased the expression of PPAR-γ. This finding was unexpected and future studies on the current topic are therefore recommended.

Changes in markers for cardio-metabolic disease risk after only 1-2 weeks of a high saturated fat diet in overweight adults

Purpose

Diets high in saturated fat acids (SFA) have been linked with cardio-metabolic disease risk. The purpose of this study was to determine whether only 1–2 weeks of a high SFA diet could impact disease risk factors in overweight adults who normally eat a relatively low proportion of SFA (i.e., <40% of dietary fat).

Methods

Twelve overweight (BMI: 27±1 kg/m²) young adults were studied before and after a 2-week diet that increased the proportion of SFA (<40% to 60% of dietary fat), while maintaining their daily intake of total fat, carbohydrate, protein, and calories. Insulin resistance, blood pressure, plasma markers of liver damage, total plasma cholesterol concentrations, and fatty acid profile within plasma and skeletal muscle lipid pools were assessed before and after the intervention.

Results

Total plasma cholesterol concentration increased (148±5 vs. 164±8 mg/dl; P<0.05) after only one week, due exclusively to an increase in LDL-cholesterol (78±4 vs. 95±7 mg/dl; P<0.05). After two weeks, plasma aspartate amino transferase (AST) concentration increased (P<0.05) but we found no change in insulin resistance, or resting blood pressure. The diet increase the proportion of SFA in plasma (35±1% vs. 39±2%; P<0.05) and the intramyocellular triglyceride pool (32±1% vs. 37±1%; P<0.05) suggesting the fatty acids in these pools may readily exchange.

Conclusions

Although blood lipids remain within normal clinical range, increasing saturated fat in diet for only 2 weeks raises plasma markers of cardiovascular risk (LDL-cholesterol) and liver damage (AST). In overweight, but healthy-young adults SFA accumulate in plasma and muscle after only 1–2 weeks of dietary increase.

Cholesteryl ester transfer protein gene variations and macronutrient intakes interaction in relation to metabolic syndrome: Tehran lipid and glucose study

Objective(s):

There are controversial results regarding the effect of the interaction of CETP polymorphisms with dietary fats on the lipid profiles. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of CETP polymorphisms (rs5882 and rs3764261) and macronutrient intakes interaction in relation to metabolic syndrome (MetS) or its components.

Materials and Methods:

In this nested case-control study, subjects were selected from among participants of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. Cases (n=441) were individually matched with two controls (844 non-MetS subjects). DNA samples were genotyped with HumanOmniExpress-24-v1-0 bead chips, including 649,932 SNP loci.

Results:

The mean ages at baseline were 38.1±10 and 37.0±10 years in women and 36.2±11 and 36.3±11 years in men, respectively in cases and controls. We did not find significant gene-diet interactions between rs5882 and dietary macronutrient intakes in relation to MetS risk. The risk of low HDL-C was lower in the first quartile of MUFA and total fat intake in G allele carriers, compared to AA genotype group. The risk of high BP appeared to increase significantly in higher quartiles of trans-fatty acid intakes (>1.81% of total energy intake) in G allele carriers compared with the AA genotype group. No significant interactions were found between rs3764261 and macronutrient intakes in association with MetS or its components.

Conclusion:

Our findings demonstrate that dietary fats modify the association of rs5882 and risk of low HDL-C and high blood pressure.

PERSON-Personalized Expert Recommendation System for Optimized Nutrition

The rise of personalized diets is due to the emergence of nutrigenetics and genetic tests services. However, the recommendation system is far from mature to provide personalized food suggestion to consumers for daily usage. The main barrier of connecting genetic information to personalized diets is the complexity of data and the scalability of the applied systems. Aiming to cross such barriers and provide direct applications, a personalized expert recommendation system for optimized nutrition is introduced in this paper, which performs direct to consumer personalized grocery product filtering and recommendation. Deep learning neural network model is applied to achieve automatic product categorization. The ability of scaling with unknown new data is achieved through the generalized representation of word embedding. Furthermore, the categorized products are filtered with a model based on individual genetic data with associated phenotypic information and a case study with databases from three different sources is carried out to confirm the system.

Foodomics for human health: current status and perspectives

INTRODUCTION

In the post-genomic era, the opportunity to combine and integrate cutting-edge analytical platforms and data processing systems allowed the birth of foodomics, 'a discipline that studies the Food and Nutrition domains through the application of advanced omics technologies to improve consumer's well-being, health, and confidence'. Since then, this discipline has rapidly evolved and researchers are now facing the daunting tasks to meet consumers' needs in terms of food traceability, sustainability, quality, safety and integrity. Most importantly, today it is imperative to provide solid evidence of the mechanisms through which food can promote human health and well-being. Areas covered: In this review, the complex relationships connecting food, nutrition and human health will be discussed, with emphasis on the relapses for the development of functional foods and nutraceuticals, personalized nutrition approaches, and the study of the interplay among gut microbiota, diet and health/diseases. Expert commentary: Evidence has been provided supporting the role of various omic platforms in studying the health-promoting effects of food and customized dietary interventions. However, although associated to major analytical challenges, only the proper integration of multi-omics studies and the implementation of bioinformatics tools and databases will help translate findings from clinical practice into effective personalized treatment strategies.

Dietary factors influence the association of cyclin D2 polymorphism rs11063069 with the risk of metabolic syndrome

The relationship of CCND2 gene variation, rs11063069 with metabolic syndrome (MetS) modulates by dietary factors but enough data are not available on this issue. So, the hypothesis, which assumes that dietary factors modulate the relationship of CCND2 polymorphisms with the risk of MetS was investigated in our study. Subjects of this nested case-control study were selected from participants of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. Each case (n=974) was pair-matched individually with a control by age, sex and the follow-up duration. Dietary patterns were determined using factor analysis. CCND2 rs11063069 was genotyped by the ARMS-polymerase chain reaction analysis. Two dietary patterns were extracted: the healthy dietary pattern (HDP) and the Western dietary pattern; among G allele carriers, being in the highest quartiles of HDP score decreased risk of MetS (OR, Q1:3.01 [1.95-6.15], Q4:0.88 [0.39-1.78], P trend=.001), compared with those in the lowest quartile. In addition, the consumption of some vegetables, red-yellow vegetable (tomatoes, squash and carrots) and fruits by G allele carriers could decrease the risk of high fasting plasma glucose (P interaction=.003), low HDL-C (P interaction=.03) and high blood pressure (P interaction=.01) respectively. No significant interaction was observed in this study between nutrients (macronutrients, zinc, magnesium and iron) and CCND2 rs11063069 in relation to MetS or its components in this study. Our findings showed that by promoting adherence to HDP and increasing intake of some vegetables and fruits, the risk of MetS or its components reduced in G allele carriers; these associations were not observed in the AA genotype group.

Diet versus jaw bones: Lessons from experimental models and potential clinical implications

The consumption of different types of diets influences not only body health but the bone remodeling process as well. Nutritional components can directly affect maxillary and mandibular alveolar bone microarchitecture. In this review, we focus on the current knowledge regarding the influence of diets and dietary supplementation on alveolar bone. Accumulating evidence from experimental models suggests that carbohydrate- and fat-rich diets are detrimental for alveolar bone, whereas protective effects are associated with consumption of calcium, ω-3, and bioactive compounds. Little is known about the effects of protein-free and protein-rich diets, boron, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, and caffeine on alveolar bone remodeling. Adipokines and direct effects of nutritional components on bone cells are proposed mechanisms linking diet and bone. Results from animal models substantiate the role of nutritional components on alveolar bone. It is a well-built starting point for clinical studies on nutritional monitoring and intervention for patients with alveolar bone disorders, especially those who are treatment refractory.

Metabolomic analysis of insulin resistance across different mouse strains and diets

Insulin resistance is a major risk factor for many diseases. However, its underlying mechanism remains unclear in part because it is triggered by a complex relationship between multiple factors, including genes and the environment. Here, we used metabolomics combined with computational methods to identify factors that classified insulin resistance across individual mice derived from three different mouse strains fed two different diets. Three inbred ILSXISS strains were fed high-fat or chow diets and subjected to metabolic phenotyping and metabolomics analysis of skeletal muscle. There was significant metabolic heterogeneity between strains, diets, and individual animals. Distinct metabolites were changed with insulin resistance, diet, and between strains. Computational analysis revealed 113 metabolites that were correlated with metabolic phenotypes. Using these 113 metabolites, combined with machine learning to segregate mice based on insulin sensitivity, we identified C22:1-CoA, C2-carnitine, and C16-ceramide as the best classifiers. Strikingly, when these three metabolites were combined into one signature, they classified mice based on insulin sensitivity more accurately than each metabolite on its own or other published metabolic signatures. Furthermore, C22:1-CoA was 2.3-fold higher in insulin-resistant mice and correlated significantly with insulin resistance. We have identified a metabolomic signature composed of three functionally unrelated metabolites that accurately predicts whole-body insulin sensitivity across three mouse strains. These data indicate the power of simultaneous analysis of individual, genetic, and environmental variance in mice for identifying novel factors that accurately predict metabolic phenotypes like whole-body insulin sensitivity.

Effects of high-sodium intake on systemic blood pressure and vascular responses in spontaneously diabetic WBN/Kob-Leprfa/fa rats

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension has markedly increased worldwide. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of a high‐salt intake on the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and vascular responses in WBN/Kob‐Lepr^fa/fa (WBKDF) rats, a new spontaneous animal model of T2DM. Male WBKDF rats and age‐matched Wistar rats at 6 weeks of age were each divided into two groups and fed either a normal‐sodium (NS, 0.26%) diet or high‐sodium (HS, 8%) diet for 14 weeks: (i) Wistar rats on NS diet (Wistar‐NS); (ii) Wistar rats on HS diet (Wistar‐HS); (iii) WBKDF rats on NS diet (WBKDF‐NS); (iv) WBKDF rats on HS diets (WBKDF‐HS). Neither WBKDF‐NS nor Wistar‐NS rats showed significant changes in SBP throughout the experiment, but both WBKDF‐HS and Wistar‐HS exhibited significant elevation of SBP, which was more prominent (P<.01) in WBKDF‐HS than in Wistar‐HS. Phenylephrine‐induced contractions of isolated thoracic aortic rings were significantly (P<.01) enhanced in WBKDF‐HS and Wistar‐HS compared with the respective strain of rats on the NS diet. In contrast, acetylcholine‐ and nitroprusside‐induced relaxation were significantly (P<.01) diminished in both WBKDF‐HS and Wistar‐HS, and these HS diet‐induced changes were more profound (P<.01) in WBKDF rats than in Wistar rats. Significantly (P<.05) higher plasma concentrations of 8‐iso‐prostaglandin F_2α and sodium ions were observed in WBKDF‐HS than in Wistar‐HS. The current study demonstrated that WBKDF‐HS rats developed salt‐sensitive hypertension associated with vascular dysfunction. The WBKDF rat may be a useful model for investigating the etiology of hypertension with T2DM.

Shaping functional gut microbiota using dietary bioactives to reduce colon cancer risk

Colon cancer is a multifactorial disease associated with a variety of lifestyle factors. Alterations in the gut microbiota and the intestinal metabolome are noted during colon carcinogenesis, implicating them as critical contributors or results of the disease process. Diet is a known determinant of health, and as a modifier of the gut microbiota and its metabolism, a critical element in maintenance of intestinal health. This review summarizes recent evidence demonstrating the role and responses of the intestinal microbiota during colon tumorigenesis and the ability of dietary bioactive compounds and probiotics to impact colon health from the intestinal lumen to the epithelium and systemically. We first describe changes to the intestinal microbiome, metabolome, and epithelium associated with colon carcinogenesis. This is followed by a discussion of recent evidence indicating how specific classes of dietary bioactives, prebiotics, or probiotics affect colon carcinogenesis. Lastly, we briefly address the prospects of using multiple 'omics' techniques to integrate the effects of diet, host, and microbiota on colon tumorigenesis with the goal of more fully appreciating the interconnectedness of these systems and thus, how these approaches can be used to advance personalized nutrition strategies and nutrition research.

Epigenetics: Linking Nutrition to Molecular Mechanisms in Aging

Healthy aging has become a major goal of public health. Many studies have provided evidence and theories to explain molecular mechanisms of the aging process. Recent studies suggest that epigenetic mechanisms are responsible for life span and the progression of aging. Epigenetics is a fascinating field of molecular biology, which studies heritable modifications of DNA and histones that regulate gene expression without altering the DNA sequence. DNA methylation is a major epigenetic mark that shows progressive changes during aging. Recent studies have investigated aging-related DNA methylation as a biomarker that predicts cellular age. Interestingly, growing evidence proposes that nutrients play a crucial role in the regulation of epigenetic modifiers. Because various nutrients and their metabolites function as substrates or cofactors for epigenetic modifiers, nutrition can modulate or reverse epigenetic marks in the genome as well as expression patterns. Here, we will review the results on aging-associated epigenetic modifications and the possible mechanisms by which nutrition, including nutrient availability and bioactive compounds, regulate epigenetic changes and affect aging physiology.

A High-Fructose-High-Coconut Oil Diet Induces Dysregulating Expressions of Hippocampal Leptin and Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase, and Spatial Memory Deficits in Rats

We investigated the effects of high-fructose-high-fat diets with different fat compositions on metabolic parameters, hippocampal-dependent cognitive function, and brain leptin (as well as stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD1) mRNA expressions). Thirty-two male Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups, a control group (n = 8), a high-fructose soybean oil group (37.5% of fat calories, n = 12), and a high-fructose coconut oil group (37.5% of fat calories, n = 12) for 20 weeks. By the end of the study, the coconut oil group exhibited significantly higher serum fasting glucose, fructosamine, insulin, leptin, and triglyceride levels compared to those of the control and soybean oil groups. However, hippocampal leptin expression and leptin receptor mRNA levels were significantly lower, while SCD1 mRNA was significantly higher in rats fed the high-fructose-high-coconut oil diet than in rats fed the other experimental diets. In addition, the coconut oil group spent significantly less time in the target quadrant on the probe test in the Morris water maze (MWM) task. Rats fed the high-fructose-high-coconut oil diet for 20 weeks were prone to develop hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, hyperleptinemia, and hypertriglyceridemia. These metabolic consequences may contribute to hippocampal-dependent memory impairment, accompanied by a lower central leptin level, and a higher SCD1 gene expression in the brain.

Impact of Mediterranean diet on metabolic syndrome, cancer and longevity

Obesity symbolizes a major public health problem. Overweight and obesity are associated to the occurrence of the metabolic syndrome and to adipose tissue dysfunction. The adipose tissue is metabolically active and an endocrine organ, whose dysregulation causes a low-grade inflammatory state and ectopic fat depositions. The Mediterranean Diet represents a possible therapy for metabolic syndrome, preventing adiposopathy or "sick fat" formation.The Mediterranean Diet exerts protective effects in elderly subjects with and without baseline of chronic diseases. Recent studies have demonstrated a relationship between cancer and obesity. In the US, diet represents amount 30-35% of death causes related to cancer. Currently, the cancer is the second cause of death after cardiovascular diseases worldwide. Furthermore, populations living in the Mediterranean area have a decreased incidence of cancer compared with populations living in Northern Europe or the US, likely due to healthier dietary habits. The bioactive food components have a potential preventive action on cancer. The aims of this review are to evaluate the impact of Mediterranean Diet on onset, progression and regression of metabolic syndrome, cancer and on longevity.

The Effect of Interactions of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms of APOA1/APOC3 with Food Group Intakes on the Risk of Metabolic Syndrome

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to examine the interaction of dietary food groups and genetic variants of APOA1/APOC3, relative to Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) risk in adults.

METHODS

In this matched nested case-control study, 414 MetS subjects and 414 controls were selected from among participants of Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. Dietary intake was assessed with the use of a valid and reliable semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs), APOA1 (rs670, -75G>A and rs5069, +83C>T/APOC3 rs5128 C3238>G) were genotyped by the conventional polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism.

RESULTS

The mean (SD) of age was 40.7 (13) and 41.2 (13) years in male cases and controls versus 44.0 (11) and 44.0 (12) years in female case and controls. A significant interaction between intake quartiles of the sugar group and APOA1 combined group (GA+AA/CT+TT) SNPs was found; The ORs for these genotype carriers were (1, 0.44, 0.36, 0.23; P trend<0.001) in quartiles of intake, relative to other combined genotypes (P interaction=0.02). MetS risk appeared to be increased significantly in higher quartiles of sweet beverages and fish intakes in the GA+AA/CT+TT/CC genotypes of APOA1/APOC3 SNPs, compared to other genotypes (P interaction=0.01). The combined effect of genotypes of APOC3/APOA1 showed further decrease in MetS risk in higher quartiles of sugar group intakes (OR: 1, 0.24, 0.26, 0.14, P trend=0.001) relative to other combinations (P interaction=0.008).

CONCLUSION

Results obtained demonstrate that some dietary food groups (sugar, fish, and sweet beverages) modulate the effect of APOA1/APOC3 SNPs in relation to MetS risk.

Characterization of Metabolically Healthy Obese People and Metabolically Unhealthy Normal-Weight People in a General Population Cohort of the ABCD Study

There is actually no consensus about the possibility that in some instances, obesity may be a benign metabolically healthy (MH) condition as opposed to a normal-weight but metabolically unhealthy (MUH) state. The aim of this study was to characterize MH condition and to investigate possible associations with metabolic and cardiovascular complications. One thousand nineteen people (range of age 18-90 years) of the cohort of the ABCD_2 study were investigated. Participants were classified as normal weight (BMI < 24.9 kg/m²) or overweight-obese (BMI ≥25 kg/m²); they were also classified as MH in the presence of 0-1 among the following conditions: (a) prediabetes/type 2 diabetes, (b) hypertension, (c) hypertriglyceridemia or low HDL cholesterolemia, and (d) hypercholesterolemia. MUH condition was diagnosed if ≥2 of the conditions listed were found. The prevalence of overweight/obese people was 71.1%, of whom 27.4% were found to be MH. In addition, 36.7% of the normal-weight participants were MUH. HOMA-IR, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, and the carotid intima-media thickness were significantly different in the 4 subgroups (P < 0.001), with higher values observed in the MUH normal-weight and obese groups. In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of identifying a MH condition in normal-weight and in obese people in order to offer better treatment.

Targeting the pains of food insecurity and malnutrition among internally displaced persons with nutrient synergy and analgesics in organ meat

Living with pain is one of the distressing effects of food insecurity and malnutrition among millions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) worldwide. Vulnerability to emotional pain, metabolic imbalance, chronic illnesses and non-communicable diseases by IDPs are associated with stressed livelihood and restricted access to balanced diets in their camps. Tackling the complexity of issues related to internal displacement is challenging as 45% are globally trapped in protracted conditions. In this review, a diet-based intervention is proposed considering the potential benefits of nutrient synergy and analgesic constituents in organ meat. Providing an affordable, value added and well packaged nutrient dense diet is suggested to meet daily protein and micronutrient requirements from organ meat. Also, unlocking health-promoting bioactive substances and analgesics in restructured organ meat product is proposed as personalized dietary remedy to exert opioid bioactivity in food matrix. Exploiting the nutrient synergy of this animal by-product will not only improve the nutritional status or wellbeing but also raise the composite score of dietary diversity or food security index among IDPs by 2030.

Longitudinal Investigation into Genetics in the Conservation of Metabolic Phenotypes in Danish and Chinese Twins

Longitudinal twin studies on long term conservation of individual metabolic phenotypes can help to explore the genetic and environmental basis in maintaining metabolic homeostasis and metabolic health. We performed a longitudinal twin study on 12 metabolic phenotypes from Danish twins followed up for 12 years and Chinese twins traced for 7 years. The study covered a relatively large sample of 502 pairs of Danish adult twins with a mean age at intake of 38 years and a total of 181 Chinese adult twin pairs with a mean baseline age of 39.5 years. Bivariate twin models were fitted to the longitudinal measurements taken at two time points (at baseline and follow-up) to estimate the genetic and environmental contributions to phenotype variation and correlation at and between the two time points. High genetic components in the regulation of intra-individual phenotype correlation or stability over time were estimated in both Danish (h²>0.75 except fasting blood glucose) and Chinese (h²>0.72 except blood pressure) twins; moderate to high genetic contribution to phenotype variation at the two time points were also estimated except for the low genetic regulation on glucose in Danish and on blood pressure in Chinese twins. Meanwhile the bivariate twin models estimated shared environmental contributions to the variance and covariance in fasting blood glucose in Danish twins, and in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, low and high density lipoprotein cholesterol in Chinese twins. Overall, our longitudinal twin study on long-term stability of metabolic phenotypes in Danish and Chinese twins identified a common pattern of high genetic control over phenotype conservation, and at the same time revealed population-specific patterns of genetic and common environmental regulation on the variance as well as covariance of glucose and blood pressure.

Does a medical history of hypertension influence disclosing genetic testing results of the risk for salt-sensitive hypertension, in primary care?

Objective

Disclosing genetic testing results may contribute to the prevention and management of many common diseases. However, whether the presence of a disease influences these effects is unclear. This study aimed to clarify the difference in the effects of disclosing genetic testing results of the risk for developing salt-sensitive hypertension on the behavioral modifications with respect to salt intake in hypertensive and nonhypertensive patients.

Methods

A cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted for outpatients aged >20 years (N=2,237) at six primary care clinics and hospitals in Japan. The main factors assessed were medical histories of hypertension, salt preferences, reduced salt intakes, and behavior modifications for reducing salt intake. Behavioral modifications of participants were assessed using their behavior stages before and after disclosure of the hypothetical genetic testing results.

Results

Of the 2,237 participants, 1,644 (73.5%) responded to the survey. Of these respondents, 558 (33.9%) patients were hypertensive and 1,086 (66.1%) were nonhypertensive. After being notified of the result “If with genetic risk”, the nonhypertensive participants were more likely to make positive behavioral modifications compared to the hypertensive patients among all participants and in those aged <65 years (adjusted relative ratio [ad-RR], 1.76; 95% confidence interval, 1.12−2.76 and ad-RR, 1.99; 1.11−3.57, respectively). In contrast, no difference in negative behavioral modifications between hypertensive and nonhypertensive patients was detected after being notified of the result “If without genetic risk” (ad-RR, 1.05; 95% confidence interval, 0.70−1.57).

Conclusion

The behavior of modifying salt intake after disclosure of the genetic testing results differed between hypertensive and nonhypertensive patients. Disclosing a genetic risk for salt-sensitive hypertension was likely to cause nonhypertensive patients, especially those aged <65 years, to improve their behavior regarding salt intake. We conclude that disclosing genetic testing results could help prevent hypertension, and that the doctor should communicate the genetic testing results to those patients with a medical history of hypertension, or those who are at risk of developing hypertension.