Abstract
Personal genetic information has become increasingly accessible to the public as a result of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests; however, concerns have been raised over their value and potential risks. We compared the effects of providing genotype-based dietary advice with general recommendations on behavioral outcomes using a randomized controlled study. Participants were men and women from the Toronto Nutrigenomics and Health Study between the ages of 20–35 years (n = 149) who completed a survey to assess their awareness of DTC genetic tests and nutrigenomics, as well as potential motivations for undergoing genetic testing. Participants were then randomized into an intervention (I) or control (C) group and were given either genotype-based personalized dietary advice or general dietary advice, respectively. A second survey was administered to assess the participants’ opinions of the dietary reports they received. A greater proportion of participants in the intervention group agreed that they understood the dietary advice they were given (93% (I) vs. 78% (C); p = 0.009). Participants in the intervention group were more likely to agree that the dietary recommendations they received would be useful when considering their diet (88% (I) vs. 72% (C); p = 0.02) and wanted to know more about the recommendations (95% (I) vs. 76% (C); p < 0.0001). Only 9% of participants in the intervention group reported feeling uneasy about learning their genetic information. These findings suggest that individuals find dietary recommendations based on genetics more understandable and more useful than general dietary advice. Very few feel uneasy about receiving their genetic information that relates to personalized nutrition.
Highlights
Personal genetic information has become increasingly accessible to the public as a result of direct-toconsumer (DTC) genetic tests; concerns have been raised over their value and potential risks
The results of the present study demonstrate that individuals are interested in nutrigenomics and report finding dietary recommendations based on genetics more useful than general dietary recommendations
Concern exists over the potential for genetic information to induce anxiety in some individuals, very few participants in the intervention group agreed that they felt uneasy learning about their genetic information
Summary
Personal genetic information has become increasingly accessible to the public as a result of direct-toconsumer (DTC) genetic tests; concerns have been raised over their value and potential risks. 9% of participants in the intervention group reported feeling uneasy about learning their genetic information These findings suggest that individuals find dietary recommendations based on genetics more understandable and more useful than general dietary advice. There is concern that consumers may experience anxiety if provided with the estimates of higher risk for developing certain diseases based on their genes and may seek out potentially unnecessary health interventions (McGuire and Burke 2008) Another criticism of most DTC genetic tests is that the corresponding advice is not genuinely personalized since the lifestyle recommendations are generally the same, regardless of genotype. The objectives of the present study were to conduct a randomized controlled trial to assess behavioral outcomes as well as the awareness, perceptions, and understanding of nutrigenomics and genetic testing
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