(P29-005-24) Targeted Obesity Genes Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms, Diet, Lifestyles, and Obesity Indices: Nutrigenetics as a Predictive Model

Objectives: There is a growing connection with nutrigenetics in the context of obesity, highlighting the influence of genetic factors on how individuals respond to dietary choices and impacting the prevalence of overweight and obesity. The study aims to explore different obesity genetic single nucleotide polymorphisms, interact with diet-lifestyle factors, and influence the status of obesity.

Methods: A total of 290 Malaysian adults aged between 18-65 years old were recruited. A pre-tested, validated, and structured questionnaire was utilized to assess the sociodemographic data, medical history, smoking habit, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and dietary intake (3-day dietary recall). Obesity was defined in terms of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and body fat percentage (BF%). The Infinium Asian Screening Array-24 v1.0 BeadChip was used to genotype MC4R, INSIG2, FTO, and APOA genes. IBM® SPSS® Statistics v27 and Nutritionist Pro Version 4.0.0 were used for data analysis.

Results: A weak but positively significant correlation was found between dietary calories and BMI (r = 0.142, p=0.038). A positive significant correlation was revealed between energy (r_partial= 0.142, p=0.038), protein (r_partial= 0.154, p=0.025), alcohol (r_partial= 0.144, p=0.037), and WC. The interaction between smoking and INSIG2 rs7566605 was significantly correlated with WC (r_partial= 0.186, p=0.012). In multivariate analysis, a significant positive association was shown between total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) and WC (adjusted-β=503, 95%CI= 0.007, 0.021, p< 0.001). A significant positive association was found between dietary patterns high in carbohydrates, sugar, and fat and BMI, adjusted for gender and marital status (adjusted-β=0.349, 95%CI= 0.048, 0.650, p=0.024). The mean micronutrient index was significantly associated with BF% status (p=0.027). Increased dietary iron density index increased the odds of high BF% almost by 5-fold (AOR=4.70,95%CI=1.07, 20.55, p=0.040).

Conclusions: Findings of nutrient-gene interaction highlight the need to implement personalized nutrition and strategies to overcome obesity.

Funding Sources: This research was funded by the Research Excellence & Innovation Grant (REIG), UCSI University.