Association Between Industrialized Dietary Pattern and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Children With FTO RS9939609...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nutrition
• Genetic Epidemiology
• Cardiometabolic Health

Background:

• Dietary patterns significantly influence cardiometabolic risk, particularly in genetically susceptible children.
• The fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) gene is linked to obesity and metabolic dysfunction.
• Understanding gene-diet interactions is vital for personalized pediatric health strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between distinct dietary patterns and cardiometabolic risk factors in children aged 4-7 years.
• To specifically examine these associations in relation to the FTO gene polymorphism (rs9939609).
• To identify specific dietary patterns that may exacerbate cardiometabolic risk in genetically predisposed children.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 258 children (aged 4-7 years).
• Assessment of body composition (DEXA), biochemical markers, and blood pressure.
• Genotyping for FTO rs9939609 polymorphism and analysis of dietary patterns using multiple linear regression.

Main Results:

• The "Industrialized" dietary pattern was significantly associated with increased triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and triglycerides in children with FTO polymorphism.
• "Milk and Chocolate Milk" pattern showed an association with the TyG index in children carrying a risk allele.
• A prevalence of 20.2% for the FTO polymorphism was observed in the study cohort.

Conclusions:

• Adherence to an "Industrialized" dietary pattern is linked to elevated cardiometabolic risk in children with FTO gene polymorphism.
• These findings underscore the importance of tailored nutritional interventions to mitigate cardiometabolic risk in genetically susceptible children.
• Further research into gene-diet interactions can inform preventative strategies for childhood obesity and metabolic diseases.