Abstract
BackgroundProponents of consumer genetic tests claim that the information can positively impact health behaviors and aid in chronic disease prevention. However, the effects of disclosing genetic information on dietary intake behavior are not clear.MethodsA double-blinded, parallel group, 2∶1 online randomized controlled trial was conducted to determine the short- and long-term effects of disclosing nutrition-related genetic information for personalized nutrition on dietary intakes of caffeine, vitamin C, added sugars, and sodium. Participants were healthy men and women aged 20–35 years (n = 138). The intervention group (n = 92) received personalized DNA-based dietary advice for 12-months and the control group (n = 46) received general dietary recommendations with no genetic information for 12-months. Food frequency questionnaires were collected at baseline and 3- and 12-months after the intervention to assess dietary intakes. General linear models were used to compare changes in intakes between those receiving general dietary advice and those receiving DNA-based dietary advice.ResultsCompared to the control group, no significant changes to dietary intakes of the nutrients were observed at 3-months. At 12-months, participants in the intervention group who possessed a risk version of the ACE gene, and were advised to limit their sodium intake, significantly reduced their sodium intake (mg/day) compared to the control group (−287.3±114.1 vs. 129.8±118.2, p = 0.008). Those who had the non-risk version of ACE did not significantly change their sodium intake compared to the control group (12-months: −244.2±150.2, p = 0.11). Among those with the risk version of the ACE gene, the proportion who met the targeted recommendation of 1500 mg/day increased from 19% at baseline to 34% after 12 months (p = 0.06).ConclusionsThese findings demonstrate that disclosing genetic information for personalized nutrition results in greater changes in intake for some dietary components compared to general population-based dietary advice.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT01353014
Highlights
Personal genetic information has become obtainable, in large part due to the advancement of the consumer genetic testing industry
There is considerable evidence that these conditions are associated with a number of modifiable health behaviors such as diet, physical activity and smoking, but lifestyle interventions aimed at achieving positive health behavior changes are often ineffective at producing the long-term changes necessary to mitigate disease risk [4]
There were no significant differences between the characteristics of participants in the intervention group when compared to the control group (Table 2)
Summary
Personal genetic information has become obtainable, in large part due to the advancement of the consumer genetic testing industry. As a result of the decreasing costs to carry out genotyping, individuals can receive personalized feedback regarding their susceptibility to a number of different health conditions at a relatively low cost [1]. The impact that this information may have on health behaviors is of particular interest [2,3], since chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes have become major public health concerns. Proponents of consumer genetic tests claim that the information can positively impact health behaviors and aid in chronic disease prevention. The effects of disclosing genetic information on dietary intake behavior are not clear
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