Epigenomic and Metabolomic Signatures of APOA2 Gene by Saturated Fat Interaction

Obesity is driven by genetic and environmental factors. Among the latter, diet is a most important one. The investigators refer to these combinations of genetic and dietary factors as 'gene-diet interactions.' Higher consumption of saturated fats (found mostly in foods of animal origin) has been associated with higher weight in people who were homozygotes for the minor allele at a genetic variant known as APOA2 -265 T>C (rs5082). In the current study, the investigators will seek to gain an understanding of the biological mechanisms driving this interaction. The investigators will select participants in three cohorts according to this genetic factor and conduct a series of molecular analyses (epigenetics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics). The analyses will identify epigenetic marks that are associated with saturated fat intake exclusively in subjects who carry this genetic factor. Moreover, the investigators will examine the association between epigenetic status and genotype at APOA2 and mRNA expression of the gene, and concentrations of metabolites in the blood. This study will increase the understanding of how genetics and diet act together to promote weight gain, and may eventually have implications for dietary recommendations that make use of genetic information.