Abstract
Obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) are worldwide major health challenges. The Mediterranean diet (MD) is associated with a better cardiometabolic profile, but these beneficial effects may be influenced by genetic variations, modulating the predisposition to obesity or MetS. The aim was to assess whether interaction effects occur between an obesity genetic risk score (obesity-GRS) and the MD on adiposity and MetS in European adolescents. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess the interaction effects of an obesity-GRS and the MD on adiposity and MetS and its components. Interaction effects between the MD on adiposity and MetS were observed in both sex groups (p < 0.05). However, those interaction effects were only expressed in a certain number of adolescents, when a limited number of risk alleles were present. Regarding adiposity, a total of 51.1% males and 98.7% females had lower body mass index (BMI) as a result of higher MD adherence. Concerning MetS, only 9.9% of males with higher MD adherence had lower MetS scores. However, the same effect was observed in 95.2% of females. In conclusion, obesity-related genotypes could modulate the relationship between MD adherence and adiposity and MetS in European adolescents; the interaction effect was higher in females than in males.
Highlights
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is known to be a major world health challenge, with increasing prevalence together with obesity and cardiovascular diseases [1]
There were significant differences between males and females for weight and height (p ≤ 0.001) no significant differences were found for body mass index (BMI)
Focusing in the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) included in the obesity-GRS, no statistically significant differences between sex were found in Supplementary Table S3
Summary
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is known to be a major world health challenge, with increasing prevalence together with obesity and cardiovascular diseases [1]. The prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome in European children and adolescents continue in the same increasing line despite the efforts of prevention programs in recent years [3,4]. In European children, an inverse association between the Mediterranean diet (MD) and childhood obesity has been observed [8] and showed that high MD adherence at early age is associated with a lower risk of developing overweight and obesity during childhood [9]. The beneficial effects associated with a high MD adherence may be influenced by the interaction with other factors, such as genetic variations, which could modulate the predisposition/risk to obesity and MetS [11]. In Chinese children and adolescents, interactions between genetic variants and dietary behaviors in relation to obesity have been observed [14]
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