Abstract
Introduction: The Mediterranean Diet (MD) has been associated with a better adiposity profile in different cohorts of European children. However, these beneficial effects might be influenced by genetic variations, which could potentially modulate the MD–adiposity association. Objectives: To investigate if higher adherence to the MD, or any of the MD food groups, is associated with lower adiposity during youth. Also, to observe the degree by which the adherence to the MD or any of the MD food groups could modulate the genetic susceptibility to obesity, in relation to adiposity. Methods: Design: Cohort study with three measurement surveys: baseline (T0), follow-up 1 (T1), and follow-up 2 (T3), between 2007 and 2014. Setting: The pan-European IDEFICS/I.Family cohort. Participants: 3098 children aged 2–16 years were genotyped. A total of 1907 participants at time measurement 3 (T3) were included, with complete information in all parameters of interest. Outcome measures: body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). A 7-item Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) to assess the degree of MD adherence, and a genome-wide polygenic risk score (PRS) for BMI previously built within the IDEFICS/I.Family consortium, from a previous GWAS to capture obesity risk. Statistical analysis: In T3, multiple linear regressions to test MD–adiposity and MD-food-groups–adiposity associations, adjusted by age, sex, parental education, genetic susceptibility to obesity, population stratification, region of residence, screen sedentary time (SST), and physical activity. Then, the same models were used to estimate gene x diet effects, based on the PRS x MD adherence. Results: No associations were found between MDS and BMI or WC adiposity markers (p-value 0.26, B 0.10). In terms of food groups, higher vegetable consumption was inversely associated to BMI (p-value < 0.01, B −0.01) and WC (p-value 0.01, B −0.02), although no gene x vegetables interaction effects were found (BMI p-value 0.43, B < 0.01; WC p-value 0.49, B 0.01). Age and SST were also significantly associated to BMI (p-value 0.01, B −0.12; p-value < 0.01, B 0.02), and only SST to WC (p-value 0.03, B 0.05), respectively. Conclusions: Higher consumption of vegetables might be associated with lower obesity, irrespective of their obesity genetic risk.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, M.S.-C. and L.A.M.; Methodology, M.S.-C. and G.M.; Software, G.D.; validation M.S.-C., L.B., M.T., R.F. and L.A.M.; formal analysis, M.S.-C., G.D. and G.M.; investigation, M.S.-C.; resources, L.A.M.; data curation, M.S.-C. and G.D.; writing original draft, M.S.-C., G.D. and G.M.; review and editing, M.S.-C., G.D., G.M., L.B., M.T., R.F. and L.A.M.; supervision, L.A.M. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
The IDEFICS study was financially supported by the European Commission within the Sixth RTD Framework Programme Contract No. 016181 (FOOD); the I.Family study was funded by the European Commission within the Seventh RTD Framework Programme Contract No. 266044 (KBBE 2010-14). Participating partners have contributed their own resources to the genotyping of children.
Institutional Review Board Statement
The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Ethics Committee of each participating country.
- Belgium: Ethics Committee of the Gent University Hospital, 15/10/2007, ref: No. EC UZG 2007/243 and 19/02/2013, No. B670201316342
- Cyprus: Cyprus National Bioethics Committee, 12/07/2007, ref: No. EEBK/EM/2007/16 and 21/Feb/2013, No. EEBK/ETI/2012/33
- Estonia: Tallinn Medical Research Ethics Committee (TMREC), 14/06/2007, ref: No. 1093 and 17/January 2013, No. 128
- Germany: Ethic Commission of the University of Bremen, 16/01/2007 and 11/12/2012
- Hungary: Medical Research Council, 21/Jun/2007, ref: 22-156/2007-1018EKU and 18/12/2012, 4536/2013/EKU
- Italy: Ethics Committee of the Local Health Authority (ASL) in Avellino, 19/06/2007, ref: No. 2/CE and 18/Sep/2012, No. 12/12
- Spain: Ethics Committee for Clinical Research of Aragon (CEICA), 20/06/2007, ref:No. PI07/13 and 13/Feb/2013, No. PI13/0012
- Sweden: Regional Ethics Research Board in Gothenburg, 30/07/2007, ref: No. 264-07 and 10/Jan/2013, No. 927-12
Informed Consent Statement
Informed consent was obtained from all parents or guardians and verbal agreement of the children involved in the study.
Data Availability Statement
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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