Polygenic risk for poor appetite or overeating and for alcohol use influence emotional eating and alcohol consumption

Area of Science:

• Behavioral genetics
• Nutritional psychiatry
• Addiction research

Background:

• Emotional eating and alcohol consumption are complex behaviors influenced by biological and psychological factors.
• Previous genetic studies relied on broad, self-reported phenotypes.
• The link between genetic predisposition and refined measures of eating and drinking behaviors is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between polygenic risk scores (PGS) for poor appetite or overeating (PAO-PGS) and alcohol use (AU-PGS) with emotional eating and habitual alcohol consumption.
• To explore specific genetic variants' association with eating and drinking behaviors.
• To assess emotional eating using validated questionnaires and alcohol consumption via 24-hour recall.

Main Methods:

• Study included 1,252 adults with overweight or obesity.
• Utilized PAO-PGS and AU-PGS.
• Employed the Emotional-Eating Questionnaire (EEQ), Eating-related Behaviors and Emotions questionnaire, and 24-hour alcohol recall.

Main Results:

• Higher PAO-PGS correlated with increased emotional eating (β =0.41, p=0.025).
• Higher AU-PGS correlated with increased risky alcohol consumption (OR=1.22, p=0.044).
• Specific EEQ components (disinhibition, food craving) linked to PAO-PGS; eating behaviors linked to AU-PGS. CTNNA2 identified as a potential gene for food craving.

Conclusions:

• Polygenic scores for appetite and alcohol use are associated with emotion-driven eating and habitual alcohol consumption.
• Genetic profiles can help identify individuals vulnerable to maladaptive eating and drinking patterns.
• Suggests integrating genetic data into behavioral nutrition research for personalized interventions.