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Genetic predisposition to macronutrient preference and workplace food choices
Jordi Merino1,2,3,4,5, Hassan S Dashti6,7,8, Douglas E Levy9,10
1Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. jmerino@mgh.harvard.edu.
Molecular Psychiatry
|May 22, 2023
Summary
Genetic differences in carbohydrate preference are linked to long-term food choices. Higher carbohydrate preference scores correlated with more frequent cafeteria purchases and healthier options.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Genomics
- Behavioral Science
- Genetics
Background:
- Genetic factors influence individual macronutrient preferences.
- The link between genetic predisposition for nutrient preference and actual long-term dietary choices remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between genetic predisposition for carbohydrate, fat, and protein preference and workplace food purchasing behavior.
- To determine if genetic differences in nutrient preference predict long-term food choices.
Main Methods:
- Utilized polygenic scores for carbohydrate, fat, and protein preference.
- Analyzed 12 months of workplace cafeteria sales data from 397 hospital employees.
- Assessed food purchase quality using traffic light labels.
Main Results:
- Each standard deviation increase in carbohydrate preference polygenic score was associated with 2.3 more monthly purchases (p=0.03).
- Higher carbohydrate preference scores correlated with more green-labeled (healthier) food purchases (p=0.01).
- No significant associations were found for fat or protein preference polygenic scores with purchasing habits.
Conclusions:
- Genetic variations in carbohydrate preference may influence sustained workplace food purchasing decisions.
- Findings suggest a genetic component to dietary behavior, warranting further investigation into underlying molecular mechanisms.
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