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Zavos HMS, Riddleston L, Jayaweera K, Dissanayake L, Jabir S, Pannala G, Hotopf M, Siribaddana S, Sumathipala A, Rijsdijk FV. Frequency of Consumption of Food Groups and Cardio-Metabolic Risk Factors: A Genetically Informative Twin Study in Sri Lanka. Behav Genet 2024; 54:73-85. [PMID: 38135768 PMCID: PMC10822787 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-023-10165-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) globally have undergone rapid urbanisation, and changes in demography and health behaviours. In Sri Lanka, cardio-vascular disease and diabetes are now leading causes of mortality. High prevalence of their risk factors, including hypertension, dysglycaemia and obesity have also been observed. Diet is a key modifiable risk factor for both cardio-vascular disease and diabetes as well as their risk factors. Although typically thought of as an environmental risk factor, dietary choice has been shown to be genetically influenced, and genes associated with this behaviour correlate with metabolic risk indicators. We used Structural Equation Model fitting to investigate the aetiology of dietary choices and cardio-metabolic phenotypes in COTASS, a population-based twin and singleton sample in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Participants completed a Food Frequency Questionnaire (N = 3934) which assessed frequency of intake of 14 food groups including meat, vegetables and dessert or sweet snacks. Anthropometric (N = 3675) and cardio-metabolic (N = 3477) phenotypes were also collected including weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose and triglycerides. Frequency of consumption of most food items was found to be largely environmental in origin with both the shared and non-shared environmental influences indicated. Modest genetic influences were observed for some food groups (e.g. fruits and leafy greens). Cardio-metabolic phenotypes showed moderate genetic influences with some shared environmental influence for Body Mass Index, blood pressure and triglycerides. Overall, it seemed that shared environmental effects were more important for both dietary choices and cardio-metabolic phenotypes compared to populations in the Global North.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena M S Zavos
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Laura Riddleston
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Youth Resilience Unit, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Kaushalya Jayaweera
- Institute for Research and Development in Health and Social Care, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Lasith Dissanayake
- Institute for Research and Development in Health and Social Care, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Sameeha Jabir
- Institute for Research and Development in Health and Social Care, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Gayani Pannala
- Institute for Research and Development in Health and Social Care, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Matthew Hotopf
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | - Athula Sumathipala
- Institute for Research and Development in Health and Social Care, Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, Research Institute for Primary Care & Health Sciences, Keele University, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, UK
| | - Frühling V Rijsdijk
- Psychology Department, Faculty of Social Sciences, Anton de Kom University of Suriname, Paramaribo, Suriname
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