Plant-Based Diet May Benefit People With Genetic Risk for Obesity

For individuals with a higher genetic risk for obesity, elements of a plant-based diet and a shift away from animal products, specifically meat, may benefit nutrition interventions, according to a study published in Obesity. Daiva E. Nielsen, MD, and colleagues investigated whether adherence to three plant-based dietary indices (PDIs) affected genetic susceptibility to obesity. The study included 7,037 adults (57% women, aged 55.6±7.7) from the CARTaGENE cohort. Researchers measured two polygenic risk scores for BMI (PRS-BMI), 92 single-nucleotide polymorphisms and 2 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms, and three plant-based scores. Follow-up participants included 2,258 adults with data on obesity outcomes. The study team used general linear models to examine the relationship between PRSs and PDI scores on obesity outcomes. Overall- and healthy-PDIs and PRS-BMI were significantly linked with obesity outcomes. Adherence to PDIs did not mediate or moderate genetic susceptibility to obesity. Meat intake cross-sectionally and whole grains intake, both longitudinally and cross-sectionally, among men facilitated links between PRS-BMI and obesity outcomes