Obesity is driven by genetic and environmental factors. Among the latter, diet is a most important one. The investigators refer to these combinations of genetic and dietary factors as 'gene-diet interactions.' Higher consumption of saturated fats (found mostly in foods of animal origin) has been associated with higher weight in people who were homozygotes for the minor allele at a genetic variant known as APOA2 -265 T>C (rs5082). In the current study, the investigators will seek to gain an understanding of the biological mechanisms driving this interaction. The investigators will select participants in three cohorts according to this genetic factor and conduct a series of molecular analyses (epigenetics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics). The analyses will identify epigenetic marks that are associated with saturated fat intake exclusively in subjects who carry this genetic factor. Moreover, the investigators will examine the association between epigenetic status and genotype at APOA2 and mRNA expression of the gene, and concentrations of metabolites in the blood. This study will increase the understanding of how genetics and diet act together to promote weight gain, and may eventually have implications for dietary recommendations that make use of genetic information.

NCT03452787

Conditions

1. Body Mass Index

Interventions

1. Other: None, cohort studies

Higher consumption of saturated fats (found mostly in foods of animal origin) has been associated with higher weight in people who were homozygotes for the minor allele at a genetic variant known as APOA2 -265 T>C (rs5082).

A putative functional variant, -265 T>C (rs5082) within the APOA2 promoter, has been shown consistently to interact with saturated fat (SFA) intake to influence the risk of obesity.

Design: The investigators will conduct an epigenome-wide scan on 80 participants carrying either the rs5082 less common genotype (CC) or the most common genotype (TT) and consuming either a low (<22 g/d) or high (≥22 g/d) SFA diet, matched for age, sex, BMI, and diabetes status in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study (BPRHS).

The Boston Puerto Rican Health Study (BPRHS), the Genetics of Lipid Lowering Drugs and Diet Network (GOLDN), and the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) Study selection: In BPRHS, 40 participants with CC genotype at APOA2 -265T>C (rs5082) will be selected, with 20 reporting a low SFA intake (<22 g/d) and 20 indicating a high SFA intake (≥22 g/d).