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Thrifty-Eating Behavior Phenotype at the Food Court - Programming Goes Beyond Food Preferences
Roberta Dalle Molle1,2,3, Euclides José de Mendonça Filho2,4, Luciano Minuzzi5
1Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Nutrição, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Frontiers in Endocrinology
|June 9, 2022
Summary
Small-for-gestational-age (SGA) individuals exhibit altered brain connectivity in reward and self-control regions, impacting food choices and increasing chronic disease risk. This study reveals key differences in brain function related to food decision-making in SGA populations.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Public Health
Background:
- Prenatal growth impairment, resulting in small-for-gestational-age (SGA) status, is linked to lifelong increased preference for palatable foods.
- This altered preference can lead to higher body fat mass and an increased risk of chronic diseases in SGA individuals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of SGA on feeding behavior in children and adolescents.
- To examine resting-state functional connectivity in brain regions associated with reward, self-control, and value determination (e.g., OFC, DL-PFC, amygdala, DS) in SGA individuals.
Main Methods:
- Recruitment of participants from two independent cohorts (Brazil and Canada) with caregivers and offspring.
- Collection of anthropometric measurements, performance in food choice tasks, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data.
Main Results:
- Brazilian SGA adolescents showed decreased functional connectivity between the OFC and DL-PFC, and between OFC and amygdala/DS, alongside altered food purchasing behavior.
- Canadian SGA children exhibited increased OFC-DL-PFC connectivity at follow-up, with no significant differences in early food choice tasks.
- No significant differences in anthropometrics or nutrient intake were observed between SGA and control groups in either sample.
Conclusions:
- SGA is associated with altered brain connectivity in regions critical for value-based decision-making and food choices.
- These neural alterations may predispose SGA individuals to disadvantages when making daily food decisions.
- Cumulative effects of altered food-related behavior and brain connectivity may contribute to the long-term risk of chronic non-communicable diseases in SGA populations.
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