The genetics of eating behaviors: research in the age of COVID-19

Mapping Intimacies ◽

10.1101/2021.09.03.458854 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mackenzie E. Hannum ◽

Cailu Lin ◽

Katherine A Bell ◽

Aurora K Toskala ◽

Riley R Koch ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Eating Behaviors ◽

Monozygotic Twin ◽

Internet Survey ◽

Early Environment ◽

Human Food ◽

Genetic Components ◽

Food Experience ◽

Adult Twins ◽

Food Involvement ◽

Taste And Smell

How much pleasure we take in eating is more than just how much we enjoy the taste of food. Food involvement - the amount of time we spend on food beyond the immediate act of eating and tasting - is key to the human food experience. We took a biological approach to test whether food-related behaviors, together capturing food involvement, have genetic components and are partly due to inherited variation. We collected data via an internet survey from a genetically informative sample of 419 adult twins (114 monozygotic twin pairs, 31 dizygotic twin pairs, and 129 singletons). Because we conducted this research during the pandemic, we also ascertained how many participants had experienced COVID-19-associated loss of taste and smell. Since these respondents had previously participated in research in person, we measured their level of engagement to evaluate the quality of their online responses. Additive genetics explained 16-44% of the variation in some measures of food involvement, most prominently various aspects of cooking, suggesting some features of the human food experience may be inborn. Other features reflected shared (early) environment, captured by respondents' twin status. About 6% of participants had a history of COVID-19 infection, many with transitory taste and smell loss, but all but one had recovered before the survey. Overall, these results suggest that people may have inborn as well as learned variations in their involvement with food. We also learned to adapt to research during a pandemic by considering COVID-19 status and measuring engagement in online studies of human eating behavior.

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Neighborhood deprivation and depression in adult twins: genetics and gene×environment interaction

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291716002622 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 47 (4) ◽

pp. 627-638 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

E. Strachan ◽

G. Duncan ◽

E. Horn ◽

E. Turkheimer

Keyword(s):

Additive Genetic Variance ◽

Monozygotic Twin ◽

Policy Implications ◽

Environment Interaction ◽

Environmental Variance ◽

Neighborhood Deprivation ◽

Gene Environment Interaction ◽

Gene Environment ◽

Underlying Causes ◽

Adult Twins

BackgroundDepression is a significant problem and it is vital to understand its underlying causes and related policy implications. Neighborhood characteristics are implicated in depression but the nature of this association is unclear. Unobserved or unmeasured factors may confound the relationship. This study addresses confounding in a twin study investigating neighborhood-level effects on depression controlling for genetics, common environment, and gene×environment (G × E) interactions.MethodData on neighborhood deprivation and depression were gathered from 3155 monozygotic twin pairs and 1275 dizygotic pairs (65.7% female) between 2006 and 2013. The variance for both depression and neighborhood deprivation was decomposed into three components: additive genetic variance (A); shared environmental variance (C); and non-shared environmental variance (E). Depression was then regressed on neighborhood deprivation to test the direct association and whether that association was confounded. We also tested for a G × E interaction in which the heritability of depression was modified by the level of neighborhood deprivation.ResultsDepression and neighborhood deprivation showed evidence of significant A (21.8% and 15.9%, respectively) and C (13.9% and 32.7%, respectively) variance. Depression increased with increasing neighborhood deprivation across all twins (p = 0.009), but this regression was not significant after controlling for A and C variance common to both phenotypes (p = 0.615). The G × E model showed genetic influences on depression increasing with increasing neighborhood deprivation (p < 0.001).ConclusionsNeighborhood deprivation is an important contributor to depression via increasing the genetic risk. Modifiable pathways that link neighborhoods to depression have been proposed and should serve as targets for intervention and research.

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EWAS of Monozygotic Twins Implicate a Role of mTOR Pathway in Pathogenesis of Tic Spectrum Disorder

Genes ◽

10.3390/genes12101510 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (10) ◽

pp. 1510

Author(s):

Mathis Hildonen ◽

Amanda M. Levy ◽

Christine Søholm Hansen ◽

Jonas Bybjerg-Grauholm ◽

Axel Skytthe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dna Methylation ◽

Monozygotic Twins ◽

Neuropsychiatric Disorders ◽

Monozygotic Twin ◽

Mtor Pathway ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Genetic Components ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Chronic Tic Disorder ◽

Mtor Signalling

Tic spectrum disorder (TSD) is an umbrella term which includes Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) and chronic tic disorder (CTD). They are considered highly heritable, yet the genetic components remain largely unknown. In this study we aimed to investigate disease-associated DNA methylation differences to identify genes and pathways which may be implicated in TSD aetiology. For this purpose, we performed an exploratory analysis of the genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in whole blood samples of 16 monozygotic twin pairs, of which eight were discordant and six concordant for TSD, while two pairs were asymptomatic. Although no sites reached genome-wide significance, we identified several sites and regions with a suggestive significance, which were located within or in the vicinity of genes with biological functions associated with neuropsychiatric disorders. The two top genes identified (TSC1 and CRYZ/TYW3) and the enriched pathways and components (phosphoinosides and PTEN pathways, and insulin receptor substrate binding) are related to, or have been associated with, the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Genes in this pathway have previously been associated with GTS, and mTOR signalling has been implicated in a range of neuropsychiatric disorders. It is thus possible that altered mTOR signalling plays a role in the complex pathogenesis of TSD.

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Food Involvement, Eating Restrictions and Dietary Patterns in Polish Adults: Expected Effects of Their Relationships (LifeStyle Study)

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu12041200 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 1200 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Marzena Jezewska-Zychowicz ◽

Jerzy Gębski ◽

Milena Kobylińska

Keyword(s):

Dietary Patterns ◽

Eating Behaviors ◽

Eating Habits ◽

Meat Products ◽

Principal Component ◽

Fruit And Vegetables ◽

Food Groups ◽

Fast Foods ◽

Unhealthy Eating ◽

Food Involvement

Understanding the factors that coexist with healthy and unhealthy eating behaviors is prevalent and important for public health. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between food involvement, eating restrictions, and dietary patterns in a representative sample of Polish adults. The study was conducted among a group of 1007 adults. Questions with the answers yes or no were used to obtain the data regarding eating restrictions. Data relating to food involvement were obtained with the Food Involvement Scale (FIS). Questions from the Beliefs and Eating Habits questionnaire were used to measure the frequency of consumption of different food groups. Five dietary patterns (DPs) were derived using principal component analysis (PCA), i.e., ‘Fruit and vegetables’, ‘Wholemeal food’, ‘Fast foods and sweets’, ‘Fruit and vegetable juices’ and “Meat and meat products’. In each of the DPs, three groups of participants were identified based on tertile distribution with the upper tertile denoting the most frequent consumption. Nearly two-thirds of the study sample declared some restrictions in food consumption. The probability of implementing restrictions in consumption of foods high in sugar, fat and high-fat foods increased in the upper tertile of ‘Fruit and vegetables’ and ‘Wholemeal’ DPs. Moreover, the probability of implementing restrictions in consumption of meat and high-starch products increased in ‘Wholemeal’ DP. The probability of using eating restrictions decreased in the upper tertile of ‘Fast foods and sweets’ and Meat and meat products’ DPs. In conclusion, individuals characterized by high food involvement were more inclined to use eating restrictions than individuals with lower food involvement. Their DPs were also healthier compared to those of individuals manifesting low food involvement. Therefore, promoting personal commitment to learning about and experiencing food may be an effective way of inducing a change of eating habits, and therefore a healthier diet.

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Tracing multisensory food experiences on Twitter

International Journal of Food Design ◽

10.1386/ijfd_00030_1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 181-212 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Maija Kāle ◽

Jurģis Šķilters ◽

Matīss Rikters

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Research Field ◽

Frequency Of Occurrence ◽

Potential Utility ◽

Human Food ◽

Food Items ◽

Food Experience ◽

Food And Drink ◽

Multisensory Experience ◽

Over Time

How a food, or a dish, is named and how its components and attributes are described can all influence the perception and the enjoyment of the food. Therefore, tracing patterns in food descriptions and determining their role can be of value. The aims of this study were the following: (1) to describe the multisensory food experience as represented in microblog entries concerning food and drink on Twitter, (2) to provide an overview of the changes in the above-mentioned food representations during the period 2011–20, and (3) to contribute to a broader understanding of the human–food relationship as reflected on social media – in this case Twitter – and outline its potential utility for the research field of gastrophysics. The combinations of various multisensory attributes co-occurring in a tweet (which we term ‘collocations’) found in the Twitter corpus were examined through the categories of texture, colour, taste, smell/odour, shape and sound. We mapped the collocations of the 20–25 most frequently mentioned food items and their multisensory experience pairings over time. Such time-based knowledge led to a better understanding of the multisensory experience triggers as reflected on Twitter. By analysing the multisensory experience’s frequency of occurrence, we could conclude that the category of colour is the dominant one, while textural, olfactory and auditory collocations with food are rare. In most of the cases, food tweets appear to render a food experience ‘tasty’, ‘good’ and ‘interesting’.

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Chemosensory changes from cancer treatment and their effects on patients food involvement: A review of empirical results

10.31219/osf.io/qwbdt ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Alissa Allen Nolden ◽

Danielle Reed

Keyword(s):

Weight Loss ◽

Food Intake ◽

Objective Measures ◽

High Frequencies ◽

Chemosensory Perception ◽

New Research ◽

Smell Function ◽

Food Involvement ◽

The Impact ◽

Taste And Smell

Chemosensory perception is essential to life. Altered taste or smell function can negatively affect the overall enjoyment of eating and drinking. Taste and smell alterations occur with high frequencies among cancer patients and frequently associate with weight loss and malnutrition. Little is known about how these taste and smell alterations impact appetite, food enjoyment and the diet. The present review summarizes the literature that uses objective measures of taste and smell that also explore measures of food intake. A better understanding of taste alterations (not smell) is important for understanding the impact on diet and food enjoyment. New research should emphisize the translation of research in taste and smell changes into strategies to provide support to clinicans and patients.

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Genetically Informed Regression Analysis: Application to Aggression Prediction by Inattention and Hyperactivity in Children and Adults

Behavior Genetics ◽

10.1007/s10519-020-10025-9 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Dorret I. Boomsma ◽

Toos C. E. M. van Beijsterveldt ◽

Veronika V. Odintsova ◽

Michael C. Neale ◽

Conor V. Dolan

Keyword(s):

Age Groups ◽

Covariance Structure ◽

Genetic Component ◽

Important Predictor ◽

Genetic Covariance ◽

Genetic Components ◽

Analysis Application ◽

Covariance Structure Model ◽

Inattention And Hyperactivity ◽

Adult Twins

AbstractWe present a procedure to simultaneously fit a genetic covariance structure model and a regression model to multivariate data from mono- and dizygotic twin pairs to test for the prediction of a dependent trait by multiple correlated predictors. We applied the model to aggressive behavior as an outcome trait and investigated the prediction of aggression from inattention (InA) and hyperactivity (HA) in two age groups. Predictions were examined in twins with an average age of 10 years (11,345 pairs), and in adult twins with an average age of 30 years (7433 pairs). All phenotypes were assessed by the same, but age-appropriate, instruments in children and adults. Because of the different genetic architecture of aggression, InA and HA, a model was fitted to these data that specified additive and non-additive genetic factors (A and D) plus common and unique environmental (C and E) influences. Given appropriate identifying constraints, this ADCE model is identified in trivariate data. We obtained different results for the prediction of aggression in children, where HA was the more important predictor, and in adults, where InA was the more important predictor. In children, about 36% of the total aggression variance was explained by the genetic and environmental components of HA and InA. Most of this was explained by the genetic components of HA and InA, i.e., 29.7%, with 22.6% due to the genetic component of HA. In adults, about 21% of the aggression variance was explained. Most was this was again explained by the genetic components of InA and HA (16.2%), with 8.6% due to the genetic component of InA.

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Integrated analysis of the methylome and transcriptome of twin almonds (Prunus dulcis [Mill.] D.A.Webb) reveals genomic features associated with non-infectious bud failure

10.1101/2021.02.08.430330 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Katherine M. D’Amico-Willman ◽

Chad E. Niederhuth ◽

Matthew R. Willman ◽

Thomas M. Gradziel ◽

Wilburforce Z. Ouma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Dna Methylation ◽

Monozygotic Twin ◽

Prunus Dulcis ◽

Integrated Analysis ◽

Related Disorder ◽

Genomic Features ◽

Genetic Components ◽

Age Related ◽

Genome Wide

I.SummaryAlmond (Prunus dulcis [Mill.] D.A.Webb) exhibits an age-related disorder called non-infectious bud-failure (BF) affecting vegetative bud development and nut yield. The underlying cause of BF remains unknown but is hypothesized to be associated with heritable epigenetic mechanisms. To address this disorder and its epigenetic components, we utilized a monozygotic twin study model profiling genome-wide DNA methylation and gene expression in two sets of twin almonds discordant for BF-exhibition. Analysis of DNA methylation patterns show that BF-exhibition and methylation, namely hypomethylation, are not independent phenomena. Transcriptomic data generated from the twin pairs also shows genome-wide differential gene expression associated with BF-exhibition. After identifying differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in each twin pair, a comparison revealed 170 shared DMRs between the two twin pairs. These DMRs and the associated genetic components may play a role in BF-exhibition. A subset of 52 shared DMRs are in close proximity to genes involved in meristem maintenance, cell cycle regulation, and response to heat stress. Annotation of specific genes included involvement in processes like cell wall development, calcium ion signaling, and DNA methylation. Results of this work support the hypothesis that BF-exhibition is associated with hypomethylation in almond, and identified DMRs and differentially expressed genes can serve as potential biomarkers to assess BF-potential in almond germplasm. Our results contribute to an understanding of the contribution of epigenetic disorders in agricultural performance and biological fitness of perennials.II.SignificanceThis study examines epigenetic components underlying noninfectious bud failure, an aging-related disorder affecting almond. Results from this work contribute to our understanding of the implications of DNA methylation on agricultural production, namely perennial fruit and nut production, due to effects on growth, development, and reproduction. Describing the methylome of discordant, monozygotic twin almonds enables the study of genomic features underlying noninfectious bud failure in this economically important crop.

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