Body composition phenotype: Italian Mediterranean Diet and C677T MTHFR gene polymorphism interaction

L. Di Renzo, M. Rizzo, L. Iacopino, F. Sarlo, E. Domino, F. Jacoangeli, C. Colica, D. Sergi, A. De Lorenzo

Division of Clinical Nutrition and Nutrigenomic, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy. delorenzo@uniroma2.it

 

---

• Nutrition

OBJECTIVES: Strategies to improve weight maintenance are focused on considering the genetic makeup and its interaction with dietary intake, with the aim to identify vulnerable individuals that will benefit from a variety of more personalized dietary recommendations. The aim of the study was to examine the impact of the C677T MTHFR gene Polymorphism on body composition changes induced by a balanced hypocaloric Italian Mediterannean diet (IMD).

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Participation in the study included a complete screening of anthropometry and body composition by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and a genotyping for the C677T MTHFR polymorphism.
70 Italian Caucasian obese were enrolled and 56 of them completed the screening at baseline and 12 weeks after the nutritional intervention.

RESULTS: T(+) carriers had a higher content of Total Body Fat (TBFat), and Lean (TBLean), reflecting on higher weight and BMI, than T(-) carriers. After IMD, the 28.6% and 71.4% of total subjects decreased weight and TBFat (Kg), respectively. The relative changes were: delta % = −9.09±3.85 for weight; delta % = −15.79±8.51 for TBFat; delta % = −3.80±5.60 for TBLean. The 5.3% of subjects who reached the end point of intervention, and the 8.9% who reduced TBFat (%) below the cut-off of preobesity, were T(-) carriers. A loss of TBLean (Kg) was observed in the 5.1% and 23.5% of T(-) and T(+) carriers.

CONCLUSIONS: MTHFR genetic variations analysis would be an innovative tool for the nutritional assessment, in order to predict the therapeutic response of obese subjects, in terms of fat and lean mass loss.

Free PDF Download