Abstract
BackgroundEvidence for the impact of the food retailing environment on food-related and obesity outcomes remains equivocal, but only a few studies have attempted to identify sub-populations for whom this relationship might be stronger than others. Genetic polymorphisms related to dopamine signalling have been associated with differences in responses to rewards such as food and may be candidate markers to identify such sub-populations. This study sought to investigate whether genetic variation of the dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4 exon III 48 bp VNTR polymorphism) moderated the association between local exposure to food retailers on BMI and diet in a sample of 4 to12-year-old children.MethodsData collected from a birth cohort and a community cross-sectional study conducted in Montreal, Canada, were combined to provide DRD4 VNTR polymorphism data in terms of presence of the 7-repeat allele (DRD4-7R) for 322 children aged between 4 and 12 (M (SD): 6.8(2.8) y). Outcomes were Body Mass Index (BMI) for age and energy density derived from a Food Frequency Questionnaire. Food environment was expressed as the proportion of local food retailers classified as healthful within 3 km of participants’ residence. Linear regression models adjusted for age, sex, income, cohort, and geographic clustering were used to test gene*environment interactions.ResultsA significant gene*food environment interaction was found for energy density with results indicating that DRD4-7R carriers had more energy dense diets than non-carriers, with this effect being more pronounced in children living in areas with proportionally more unhealthy food retailers. No evidence of main or interactive effects of DRD4 VNTR and food environment was found for BMI.ConclusionsResults of the present study suggest that a genetic marker related to dopamine pathways can identify children with potentially greater responsiveness to unhealthy local food environment. Future studies should investigate additional elements of the food environment and test whether results hold across different populations.
Highlights
Evidence for the impact of the food retailing environment on food-related and obesity outcomes remains equivocal, but only a few studies have attempted to identify sub-populations for whom this relationship might be stronger than others
The equivocal evidence could be explained by methodological limitations and heterogeneity in studies [2, 5,6,7], results could reflect the fact that the local food environment does influence some people, but not all
Sample description Genetic information was available for 322 participants, of those 305 had food environment data and 300 had household income information
Summary
Evidence for the impact of the food retailing environment on food-related and obesity outcomes remains equivocal, but only a few studies have attempted to identify sub-populations for whom this relationship might be stronger than others. Exceptions include a study in which food consumption in children with a greater predisposition to external eating (eating in response to external cues) was found to be more strongly related to exposure to vegetable and soft drink displays compared to children with lower external eating [13]. Another example is a study showing that neighbourhood exposure to fast-food restaurants was a stronger predictor of the frequency of visits to fast food retailers in adults considered to be more rewardsensitive [14]. Another study found that an inverse association between one’s sense of mastery, a construct of perceived control over one’s circumstances, and risk for metabolic syndrome, was more pronounced for individuals living in areas with greater exposure to fast-food restaurants [15]
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