Meal Frequencies Modify the Effect of Common Genetic Variants on Body Mass Index in Adolescents of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986

Abstract

Recent studies suggest that meal frequencies influence the risk of obesity in children and adolescents. It has also been shown that multiple genetic loci predispose to obesity already in youth. However, it is unknown whether meal frequencies could modulate the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the risk of obesity. We examined the effect of two meal patterns on weekdays –5 meals including breakfast (regular) and ≤4 meals with or without breakfast (meal skipping) – on the genetic susceptibility to increased body mass index (BMI) in Finnish adolescents. Eight variants representing 8 early-life obesity-susceptibility loci, including FTO and MC4R, were genotyped in 2215 boys and 2449 girls aged 16 years from the population-based Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986. A genetic risk score (GRS) was calculated for each individual by summing the number of BMI-increasing alleles across the 8 loci. Weight and height were measured and dietary data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. Among meal skippers, the difference in BMI between high-GRS and low-GRS (<8 and ≥8 BMI-increasing alleles) groups was 0.90 (95% CI 0.63,1.17) kg/m2, whereas in regular eaters, this difference was 0.32 (95% CI 0.06,0.57) kg/m2 (p interaction = 0.003). The effect of each MC4R rs17782313 risk allele on BMI in meal skippers (0.47 [95% CI 0.22,0.73] kg/m2) was nearly three-fold compared with regular eaters (0.18 [95% CI -0.06,0.41] kg/m2) (p interaction = 0.016). Further, the per-allele effect of the FTO rs1421085 was 0.24 (95% CI 0.05,0.42) kg/m2 in regular eaters and 0.46 (95% CI 0.27,0.66) kg/m2 in meal skippers but the interaction between FTO genotype and meal frequencies on BMI was significant only in boys (p interaction = 0.015). In summary, the regular five-meal pattern attenuated the increasing effect of common SNPs on BMI in adolescents. Considering the epidemic of obesity in youth, the promotion of regular eating may have substantial public health implications.

Effect of interactions of polymorphisms in the Melanocortin‐4 receptor gene with dietary factors on the risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes: a systematic review

“…Two studies, one cohort and one cross‐sectional , examined the effects of the interaction between the dietary behaviour of children and MC4R gene variants on obesity. Lv et al .…”

“…Jääskeläinen et al . studied the effect of the interaction of two meal patterns on weekdays and during 16 years of follow‐up (five meals including breakfast and ≤4 meals) with MC4R rs17782313 on BMI. The results indicate that regular consumption of meals (five meals including breakfast) attenuates obesity induced by the MC4R gene variant.…”

“…Jääskeläinen et al . studied the effect of the interaction of meal patterns with MC4R rs17782313 on BMI, and their results indicate that those with a regular consumption of meals have a higher BMI than meal skippers with the same genotype. Decreased insulin secretion and the increased thermogenic effects of food, after an increase in the number of meals are the mechanisms proposed for the differences observed in weight between meal skippers and regular eaters.…”

Theory‐informed nutrition education curriculum Tools For Feeling Good promotes healthy eating patterns among fifth grade pupils: cross‐sectional study

“…Increasing the ability of adolescents to link their actions to consequences has also previously been reported to be effective with respect to food choices . The health‐promoting effects of regular eating are well‐known and associated, for example, with a reduced risk of being overweight , even among individuals with an inherited vulnerability to obesity . Therefore, efforts to promote a healthy lifestyle in childhood have a particular strategic importance for the promotion of health even in adulthood .…”

A genetic risk tool for obesity predisposition assessment and personalized nutrition implementation based on macronutrient intake

“…Nevertheless, there is scarce information regarding interactions between obesity GRSs and lifestyle factors. Interactions with physical activity (Li et al 2010a;Ahmad et al 2013), television watching (Qi et al 2012a), meal frequencies (Jaaskelainen et al 2013), omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (Lemas et al 2013), sugar-sweetened beverages (Qi et al 2012b) and fried food ) have been described, although other report could not observe any strong interactions with macronutrients .…”