Association of stress-related genetic risk and lifestyle factors with BMI in Korean adults.

BACKGROUND/

OBJECTIVES

Genetic susceptibility to stress may influence behavioral and metabolic responses involved in dietary choices and body weight regulation. While previous studies have focused on individual genetic variants related to dietary intake and obesity risk, a polygenic approach integrating multiple stress-related single nucleotide polymorphisms may better capture overall genetic susceptibility to stress. This study examined the relationship among stress-related polygenic risk, dietary intake, serum metabolite profiles, and body weight, and determined whether this relationship could be influenced by sleep duration and physical activity (PA).

SUBJECTS/

METHODS

This study included 100 disease-free participants with a body mass index (BMI) of 18.5 to 25.0 kg/m2. The genetic scores for stress (GSstress) were determined using 4 genes: DRD2 rs1800497, COMT rs4680, BDNF rs6265, and HTR2C rs3813929. Participants were classified into 4 categories: Low GSstress (n = 29), Normal GSstress (n = 16), Alert GSstress (n = 36), and Risk GSstress (n = 19). Anthropometric measurements, dietary intake, PA, sleep duration, serum cortisol, and serum metabolite levels were evaluated.

RESULTS

Serum cortisol concentration was significantly higher in the Risk GSstress group than in the Low GSstress and Alert GSstress groups. Participants with higher risk for stress consumed significantly higher sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) than those at low risk. Additionally, there was a significant interaction effect between GSstress and sleep duration in relation to BMI (P = 0.041), with a positive association found only in individuals with short sleep duration (< 6 h/day).

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that individuals with a higher genetic risk for stress exhibited elevated cortisol levels and were associated with greater SSB intake and higher BMI. This relationship was more pronounced in those with insufficient sleep, emphasizing the importance of lifestyle factors in mitigating the effect of genetic stress risk on body weight.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Research Information Service Identifier: KCT0004650.