Healthy Habits To Lower Genetic Obesity Risk

Are you looking for healthy habits to lower your genetic obesity risk? Check out the audio transcript here!

Healthy Habits To Lower Genetic Obesity Risk

Dawn (00:00):

Hello and welcome to the Gastric Health Show. My name is Dawn Boxell and this week’s topic is Healthy habits to lower your genetic obesity risk. And I really felt like this needed to be discussed. I feel like people are getting confused with all of this social media explosion with the GLP-1 medications and GIP, all of those awesome tools that people have. I feel like people are getting confused that diet and lifestyle no longer can support you in helping you regain control when you have maybe a high genetic obesity risk.

Dawn (00:56):

And those would be people that’s probably dealt with obesity and being overweight probably the majority of their lives. Those are the people that probably have a very high impact genetic risk for obesity. But I want you to know that even if you utilize these medications or you’ve had bariatric surgery and then you also add in these medications, you still want to prioritize healthy habits in order for all of this stuff to work.

Dawn (01:34):

So there really isn’t anything that is going to resolve what diet and lifestyle provides. So that’s where you have to just don’t lose focus. But I’ve had conversations over the past week with people that just really feel like they have no ability to lose weight on their own without utilizing some type of medication to support them. So this is where I want to show you that just some basic foundational things. So these healthy habits, and again, habits is a key word. It’s not about just doing it for a period of time.

Dawn (02:22):

It’s not about doing it for a challenge or just for a few weeks or a few months. This is truly about building a routine, building a practice that supports you lifelong. So this is where it takes time, and you have to be patient with the process because you’re not automatically just going to start doing all of these healthy habits instinctively.

Dawn (02:51):

It’s just not normal. It’s not typical. And any human struggles with this, whether you’ve had obesity problems or overweight problems at all, everybody struggles to maintain healthy habits because being thin and lean does not mean that you’re healthy. So again, I think you have to just not forget that if you have a genetic obesity risk, high risk healthy habits are even more important.

Dawn (03:30):

So let’s kind of go through some of this so you get the gist of where I’m going with it, but I truly hope that you’ll be able to see that, hey, I need to keep my focus and I need to maybe in fact, maybe you need to hire someone. Maybe you need to hire a trainer. Maybe you need to hire a Dietitian. You need to join a group, like a support group, or like our membership, our gastric health membership, where you have the tools and the resources provided to you that can help make those changes easier and give you the autonomy and the grace to do the work to make the changes.

Dawn (04:21):

So again, you just have to evaluate where you’re at, and if you truly are finding yourself stuck and you’re not doing the things you know need to do, these aren’t rocket science things. These are very well known, very well established things that help on your journey to lowering that risk of having obesity reoccur or just dealing with being overweight. These are foundational things that you truly just need to continue to work through as you ebb and flow through the different seasons of life.

Dawn (05:10):

So we all can’t agree that obesity is complex and multifactorial and affects millions of people worldwide. So this is not something that only a small amount of people struggle with. And behavioral and environmental factors such as diet, physical activity have been shown to play a significant role in obesity development. So if we know this is a piece kind of if you’re doing a puzzle, it takes multiple pieces to make the whole image.

What is the genetic basis of obesity?

Dawn (05:47):

Same thing here. Diet and lifestyle is part of it in how often you’re moving your body and the foods you’re putting into your body matter because that’s one piece of how obesity developed. And then still the role of genetic factors have been found to be significant. And genetic variations can influence many aspects of metabolism, including how your body utilizes calories and your appetite, regulation, fat storage. But however, people who inherit a gene that makes them more likely to be obese are definitely not destined to be stuck with obesity.

Dawn (06:32):

So just because you’ve been given those genes doesn’t mean that you can’t change them. And for some people it means they need surgery and maybe they need surgery and medication to go along with their healthy health, healthy habits that they enlist on a daily basis. So everyone is different on how much extra things it requires to maintain that health that they’re striving for.

Dawn (07:03):

But again, I think it’s good to not forget that these healthy habits are an important piece, even if you have bariatric surgery or are utilizing medication to help support your genetic obesity, we know that genes are merely just a blueprint for potential outcomes, but various environmental factors kind of influence how they’re expressed. And some of these are like diet, physical activity, sleep and stress. All of these can play a role in whether or not these are actually going to be something that you struggle with. Now, what is the genetic basis of obesity?

Environmental Factors and Gene Expression

Dawn (07:55):

A complex interplay between multiple genetic epigenetic and environmental factors regulate the human body weight. It’s not one thing. So just because you have maybe some of these high impact, medium, low, wherever you fall on the spectrum of the impact of these obesity genes, there are certain things that can trigger this from being turned on. So think of it like this. Kind of in the genetic world, we say that your genes load the gun, methylation turns off the safety and epigenetics or your diet and lifestyle pull the trigger. So it takes all of that to occur, and it’s not going to be just one thing that is causing it. It’s not because you

Dawn (08:54):

Have no willpower on food. It’s not because you necessarily consume too many calories. For some people, you even obese people, they can utilize calories very efficiently. So again, I think understanding that genetic piece for yourself can really help you understand where you should focus. Researchers have identified several genes that are involved in appetite regulation, energy expenditure, like the calorie balance piece of it, and metabolism contributing to obesity development.

Dawn (09:33):

And some of the most well known, well studied genes that are associated with obesity are the FTO gene, the MC4R gene, and the PPARG gene. So I’ve discussed all of all three of these genes at various different times and trying to help you understand the ones that are, I guess have the most impact and have the most research backed showing that these, if you have these genes, there is a potential that if these are turned on, that you will struggle with obesity.

Dawn (10:17):

So the FTO gene is one of the most well known genetic contributors to obesity, and the variation in this gene is associated with a higher BMI, increased fat mass, and increased risk for obesity related diseases including diabetes and heart disease, which kind of all goes together. Then the MC4R gene is crucial in regulating appetite and energy expenditure or like burning calories. It has been found that mutations in this gene increase bmi, increase your food intake and decrease your energy expenditure.

Dawn (10:58):

o you’ll have a bigger drive to eat more food, but yet your body won’t be able to burn those calories very efficiently. And then the PPARG gene, this regulates fat cell distribution and lipid metabolism, and the variation of this gene is associated with a higher risk of obesity and insulin resistance. So kind of a piece of that metabolic syndrome that so many obese individuals struggle with.

Dawn (11:31):

So there’s also some other genes that POMC that play a role in appetite regulation, while others such as the LEPR and the INSIG2 affect lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity. And even though the genetics of obesity is becoming increasingly understood, there is still a lot to learn. So we don’t know everything yet about these genes, but I will say it is very exciting on what we do know in the decade or so that it’s been evolving.

Dawn (12:06):

Researchers are still attempting to determine the exact mechanism by which these genes affect metabolism and energy balance. And some studies suggest that there may be a connection between these genes and the levels of certain hormones such as graylin and leptin that are involved in the regulation of your appetite. So again, understanding where you fall in these genes, these obesity risk genes can really help guide you to make informed decisions about your health.

Dawn (12:42):

So for example, so if you knew that, hey, I have these genes, I have the PPARG or the MC4R, and it is a high impact or a very high impact or even medium impact. So it’s going to play a role in my appetite, how I’m going to burn calories and just my fat mass overall, and then also contribute to me getting diabetes and heart disease.

Dawn (13:11):

So what can you do if you’re like, okay, I know I have these genes, then you have to be intentional. You have to stay on top of that fasting glucose, that fasting insulin, your hemoglobin A1C. You’ve got to get those in tighter reference ranges. You’ve got to get those in those healthy areas so that you can manage these levels better. Others suggest that these genes may affect the activity of specific brain regions that control food intake and energy expenditure.

How to turn off obesity genes through a healthy lifestyle

Dawn (13:46):

So it’s just kind of another area that is being explored. Is it what’s happening in your brain that’s driving all of this? In addition to identifying genes that play a role in obesity, researchers have also begun investigating ways to turn off or turn on these genes to prevent or treat this condition. So let’s move into some of the environmental factors in gene expression in addition to genetic factors, environmental factors such as diet, physical activity and lifestyle also influence gene expression and ultimately the development of obesity.

Dawn (14:27):

For example, a high fat diet can increase the expression of genes involved in fat storage, while physical activity can increase the expression of genes involved in energy expenditure. Furthermore, epigenetic modifications can influence gene expression and contribute to obesity. For example, DNA methylation and histone modifications. Epigenetic modifications are affected by environmental factors such as your diet and lifestyle, offering potential targets of obesity prevention and treatment.

Dawn (15:03):

Therefore, healthy lifestyle allows you to take control of your health and turn off these genes. And again, like we had talked about last week, the importance of methylation, making sure that your methylation pathways are performing optimally can help support this obesity genetic risk. So how to turn off obesity genes through a healthy lifestyle. There are a few scientifically proven ways to help turn these genes off with a healthy lifestyle, and one is to eat a balanced diet.

Eat a healthy and balanced diet

Dawn (15:39):

So this means you are focusing on protein, fiber filled carbohydrates, healthy fats as the majority of your food 80% of the time. So you got to think about perfection doesn’t exist, but you’ve got to be real some of the time because there’s going to be cakes, there’s going to be ice cream, there’s going to be chips and pizza and just random stuff that maybe doesn’t support a healthy insulin, a healthy blood sugar.

Dawn (16:12):

But again, there are ways I teach my gastric health members those specific ways to help you consume the foods that you need to get in to nourish your body, but then still have fun things, but yet it not impact your blood sugar at crazy levels. So again, working with me as a gastric health member, that is one thing that I do help you do is identify your risks, your genetic risks, and then give you kind of that roadmap of, well, okay, how do I prevent this from occurring? Or how do I turn this off? Because these are not in good levels right now.

Dawn (16:59):

There are several nutrients like folate, B12 and choline have been shown to influence methylation, which in turn influences the expression of genes related to energy metabolism and obesity because that methylation piece is key and is what turns genes on and off. And according to one study, a diet containing high fiber and low fat can improve methylation patterns and decrease the expression of inflammation and obesity. Genes researchers have also found that a Mediterranean diet with plenty of vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, olive oil, and can the lower your obesity risks and improve your overall health.

Dawn (17:48):

Therefore, you should eat foods full of nutrients such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins, healthy fats, and then really minimizing those highly processed sugary carby snack foods. Because we do know there are, and I’ve shared before that the various different studies that they do play a role in obesity and weight gain. So this is where you know, have to really be real with yourself, and you have to know your boundaries at where you’re at right now. It doesn’t mean it’s going to be like that forever, just means right now maybe I can’t have ice cream in the house.

Dawn (18:33):

Maybe right now potato chips just need to stay at the grocery store. Your pain points and where you’re at mentally with making shifts and changes and all that can do is just really help you get through to the next side. So you got to get to the other side where you are having balanced blood sugars and insulin and your appetite’s at a better place so that having potato chips in the house doesn’t really impact you.

Dawn (19:09):

So again, that all kind of goes back to knowing what’s driving it. Is it cortisol dysregulation that’s driving this because your stress is so out of whack, or are you just really not sleeping well? And we need to focus on deep sleep? So again, tiny baby steps and just working through these different areas, these foundational areas can really help get you into a great place with your overall health and your weight, and especially even if you have these high obesity genetic risk factors that you have to always deal with and consider.

Dawn (19:56):

You can get these in a good place that you can remain healthy and vibrant throughout your life. The next one is exercise regularly. This one is what I truly encourage all my patients. So when you are right after surgery, it’s it’s super easy to not get in that groove of doing some type of movement or physical activity because you’re consuming so few calories and you’re, maybe the energy piece just isn’t there.

Exercise regularly

Dawn (20:30):

So I get that. But as you start migrating out of that, you’ve got to get into a regular exercise routine and establish that early on because it’s going to help support kind of that long-term established routine or that habit when you do it early on because you’re getting that immediate feedback from the surgery of, Hey, I’m losing weight and exercise is really helping support that. So again, exercising regularly, none of us are getting to our health goals without doing some type of activity.

Dawn (21:12):

More and more studies just keep coming out the benefits of doing some type of movement, and it doesn’t require craziness. You don’t have to go to CrossFit gyms, you don’t have to even go to a gym. You can do things on your phone, you can do things just on YouTube, on your tv, if you still have a D V D player, you could use those if you still have those.

Dawn (21:40):

There’s so many options, and even just taking a walk is impactful and it does help in so many ways. So don’t discount the small things because they add up and matter. So exercise is important to a healthy lifestyle and can influence your DNA methylation of certain genes. And if you engage in regular physical activity for at least half an hour a day, or think about it 150 minutes a week, so that is 30 minutes five days a week, if you do that, it can help support a healthy weight loss, healthy weight maintenance

Dawn (22:26):

It can help reduce body fat and help utilize muscle and maintain muscle mass and just overall improve blood sugar spikes and the less need for that insulin to be kicked up. It can lower cortisol levels. So there’s so many benefits and it also helps support detoxification, so it helps your liver in that aspect because it’s you’re sweating.

Dawn (22:54):

So again, leaving this out, leaving this healthy habit out is kind of a bad move in the aspect of if you truly want to have an optimal health or just long term be able to maintain a healthy weight, easier exercise needs to be a piece of this. So probably out of most of my patients, this is the piece. This is the one that ranks the lowest on everyone’s to-do list, and we’ve got to inverse that and get that to the top of your list and take care of your body first before you add on all these other tasks and duties and commitments that we get stuck in.

Dawn (23:50):

So find time for yourself to move your body in a way that you enjoy. It doesn’t, again, there’s noth, there’s no one magic workout that is going to magically just help you shed a bunch of pounds or prevent you from gaining any weight.

Get enough sleep

Dawn (24:09)
No, it is literally just moving your body more several times a day. The next one is get enough sleep. And we have talked about sleep for recently, and this is something that really does play a role in obesity genes, and not just sleep, but quality sleep. So making sure that you get good deep sleep, REM sleep, those are all vital for your health.

Dawn (24:42):

Several studies have shown that a lack of sleep disrupts your hormones, that regulate your appetite and metabolism causing weight gain. And ideally, you should be sleeping seven to eight hours a night. And we have kind of brought this to light that if you, even just missing 20, 30 minutes of sleep can for some people increase their cravings the next day. So if you want to put the odds in your favor, really just focusing in on tracking your sleep and making sure you’re getting good quality sleep every night is a great place to start.

Maintain Portion Control

Dawn (25:21):

The next one is portion control. And to me, this is being mindful. This is being present at a meal and to that will do portion control after bariatric surgery for a lot of people. Now, as you get further out, you might find that your appetite’s a little bit bigger and you can eat a little bit more, which isn’t always bad and sometimes necessary because your activity is higher. But if you just focus on being mindful, like chewing your food 20 or 30 times before you swallow it, smelling, tasting, rolling it around, feeling the texture in your mouth, all of those things can enhance the meal,

Dawn (26:03):

but then also slow you down so that you have time for those signals to tell your brain that, Hey, we’ve got enough food, we’re good. And you don’t have to keep eating. So again, you can do basic things of smaller plates, smaller bowls, baby spoons, baby forks that can slow down your eating if that’s truly a problem, try that instead, try those to help kind of keep the volume.

Manage Stress

Dawn (26:33):

If you’re kind of a volume eater, do smaller plates and fill it up. And then that way you know that, hey, I’m still getting less than if I did a dinner size plate, filled it up, you would get less. The next one is managed stress and stress can trigger obesity genes and contribute to weight gain. And you can reduce stress levels and improve your overall wellbeing by practicing stress. Management techniques like meditation, yoga, or deep breathing exercises. While which will reduce the stress levels and actually boost your mood.

Dawn (27:14):

So again, stress management, I would say exercise is neglected and sleep. And stress are not even considered as something to look at. So to me, those are the things that I’m going to ask questions about because. I want to know how well are you sleeping? What is your stress level and how are you moving your body?

Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption

Dawn (27:37):

Those are the things that I feel like people get stuck on and that might need some coaching. And support to help encourage you through those to get that routine going. Of course, avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. This is definitely something that does not go well with bariatric surgery. Smoking vaping can lead to ulcers and create a lot of problems. And then alcohol, those are the things that you just have to use wisdom with. Because there are some risks of kind of turning into excessiveness and alcoholism for some after bariatric surgery.

Medications and Obesity

Dawn (28:26):

Medications and obesity, we know that the GLP-1 medications have been very successful. And can be a great tool to use when it comes to lowering your obesity risk. We do find that some of these GLP-1 s do have the ability to turn those genes off. And really help give you that fullness and satisfaction that you’re desiring outside of the other metabolic benefits. Health benefits that kind of come with this medication.

Dawn (29:02):

They do help suppress your appetite and really help you manage your food intake a little bit easier. So I have patients that take this and usually the hardest part is actually getting in to eat enough. I find that most of my patients who are taking GLP-1 medications are struggling with getting adequate intake. So that’s probably the biggest battle is you’ve got to be on it. And then also you have the risk of when you’re taking these medications. You have a risk of losing some muscle mass.

GLP-1 Appetite Suppression Medications

Dawn (29:43):

Some studies have shown, and I do know some practitioners. Who have seen this in their practice and no longer utilize these medications because of that. Because it does influence your longevity. So if you strive, desire, have any inclination that you want live. You know want to live a long vibrant life into your eighties and nineties. And then you make informed decisions about these GLP-1 medications. And before going into it you dial that exercise piece in as tight as possible and don’t move it.

Dawn (30:29):

And I would say it’s not just about moving your body, it’s about strength training. You’ve got to have strength training included with these medications. Because this is what is going to be important to maintain that muscle mass. And protect you from losing that from the medication. Now, what about genetic testing? Genes can affect how your bodies regulate calories and energy, fat and weight maintenance. And also all of the things that contribute to obesity, risk, insulin, glucose, all of that.

Gene Editing and Obesity

Dawn (31:05):

But just having some of these obesity genes doesn’t mean that. You are guaranteed to struggle with obesity or that you’re guaranteed or doomed to never change your obesity situation. That’s not true at all. You definitely can make an impact with your habits. So again, we kind of talked about how the impact of a gene. If it’s protective, no impact, low, medium, high, very high impact, all of that matters.

Dawn (31:47):

So just because you have some of these obesity genes, what are they? Are they protective? I have patients who’ve done the genetic tests with me. And they have obesity genes at medium or maybe some of them at high or very high. But yet they have some in protective. So it puts it into a different perspective and a different balance to really help guide us through. Because just because you have maybe because it’s going to look at all of ’em. There’s also 25 weight regulation and appetite regulation genes, and it’s going to look at all 25 of those.

Genetic Testing

Dawn (33:08):

So having a genetic test is one way to help you understand. What your body needs and where to focus it. So let’s kind of wrap this up now because although genetics play a role in the development of obesity. It is not a predetermined fate. And environmental and behavioral factors can influence gene expression and modify the risk of developing obesity. We may be able to prevent and treat obesity by understanding the genetics of obesity. And also how gene expression can be modified and a healthy lifestyle can reduce. Your obesity risk and health related complications for individuals.

Dawn (33:53):

So a small change in your lifestyle can have a significant impact in your overall health and wellbeing. So prevention is always better than having to cure it. And that kind of goes back to that mindset of, or that confusion that. I talked about at the beginning that a lot of people are feeling that. They’re not going to be successful with weight loss. And unless they have some type of medication to support them.

Conclusion

Dawn (34:27):

And I just want to reassure you that truly is not the case. It is truly about kind of looking at the whole package. What are your risk factors? Where do they lie? Do you have hormone dysregulation? Are you going through menopause? Also do we need to support you there? Do you have glucose and insulin imbalances that we need to do a continuous glucose monitor? Where are your biggest impact areas that we need to focus on?

Dawn (35:04):

And to me, that is where that having a genetic test can truly help guide you. Whether you’ve had bariatric surgery or you’re taking a GLP-1 medication. If I look at a genetic test and I see that, okay. This person is really going to struggle with appetite and hunger regulation. So, I totally might recommend that they do a GLP-1 medication because of this, because they need that.

Dawn (35:36):

Additional support that that medication could provide. So again, it’s just finding out where your barriers are and then working on them. So I hope you guys have enjoyed it this week. And hopefully you can apply some of these things and not feel confused. That you don’t have any ability to control your obesity risks with what you do on a regular basis. Because that is really not the case. And you have so many options to consider when it comes to taking care of your health. So you guys have a great week and we will see you next time. Bye-bye.

Listen, Learn, Enjoy…

References & Links:

Locke AE, Kahali B, Berndt SI, et al. Genetic studies of body mass index yield new insights for obesity biology. Nature. 2015 Feb 12;518(7538):197-206.
Müller TD, Blüher M, Bosse M. Genetic Contribution to Obesity. In: Ahmad S, ed. Genetic Predisposition to Disease. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1253. Springer, Singapore. 2020.
Phillips CM. Nutrigenetics and metabolic disease: current status and implications for personalised nutrition. Nutrients. 2013 Sep 30;5(10):3908-23.
Ren, B., Tian, D., Wang, L., Han, H., Wang, W., Tian, H., … & Zhang, W. (2019). Association between the BHMT gene rs3733890 polymorphism and the efficacy of oral folate therapy in patients with hyperhomocysteinemia. Annals of Human Genetics, 83(6), 434-444.
Ganz, A. B., Cohen, V. V., Swersky, C. C., Stover, J., Vitiello, G. A., Lovesky, J., … & Caudill, M. A. (2017). Genetic variation in choline-metabolizing enzymes alters choline metabolism in young women consuming choline intakes meeting current recommendations. International journal of molecular sciences, 18(2), 252.
Li, F., Feng, Q., Lee, C., Wang, S., Pelleymounter, L. L., Moon, I., … & Weinshilboum, R. M. (2008). Human betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT) and BHMT2: common gene sequence variation and functional characterization. Molecular genetics and metabolism, 94(3), 326-335.
Weisberg, I. S., Park, E., Ballman, K. V., Berger, P., Nunn, M., Suh, D. S., … & Rozen, R. (2003). Investigations of a common genetic variant in betaine–homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT) in coronary artery disease. Atherosclerosis, 167(2), 205-214.
Xu, Y., Yan, C., Hao, Z., Zhou, J., Fan, S., Tai, S., … & Liang, C. (2016). Association between BHMT gene rs3733890 polymorphism and cancer risk: evidence from a meta-analysis. OncoTargets and therapy, 9, 5225.
Aras, Ö., Hanson, N. Q., Yang, F., & Tsai, M. Y. (2000). Influence of 699C→ T and 1080C→ T polymorphisms of the cystathionine β‐synthase gene on plasma homocysteine levels. Clinical genetics, 58(6), 455-459.
Sharma, A., Gulbahce, N., Pevzner, S. J., Menche, J., Ladenvall, C., Folkersen, L., … & Barabasi, A. L. (2013). Network-based analysis of genome wide association data provides novel candidate genes for lipid and lipoprotein traits. Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, 12(11), 3398-3408.
Stipanuk, M. H., & Ueki, I. (2011). Dealing with methionine/homocysteine sulfur: cysteine metabolism to taurine and inorganic sulfur. Journal of inherited metabolic disease, 34(1), 17-32.
Happonen, P., Voutilainen, S., Tuomainen, T.-P., & Salonen, J. T. (2006). Catechol-o-methyltransferase gene polymorphism modifies the effect of coffee intake on incidence of acute coronary events. PLoS One, 1(1), e117.
Qin, X., Peng, Q., Qin, A., Chen, Z., Lin, L., Deng, Y., . . . Li, T. (2012). Association of COMT Val158Met polymorphism and breast cancer risk: an updated meta-analysis. Diagn Pathol, 7(136), 1596-1597.
Shifman, S., Bronstein, M., Sternfeld, M., Pisanté, A., Weizman, A., Reznik, I., . . . Schiffer, R. (2004). COMT: a common susceptibility gene in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Am J Med Genet Part B: Neuropsych Genet, 128(1), 61-64.
Zahid, M., Beseler, C. L., Hall, J. B., LeVan, T., Cavalieri, E. L., & Rogan, E. G. (2014). Unbalanced estrogen metabolism in ovarian cancer. Inter J Cancer, 134(10), 2414-2423.
Enoch, M. A., Xu, K., Ferro, E., Harris, C. R., & Goldman, D. (2003). Genetic origins of anxiety in women: a role for a functional catechol-O-methyltransferase polymorphism. Psych Genet, 13(1), 33-41.
Olsson, C. A., Anney, R. J., Lotfi-Miri, M., Byrnes, G. B., Williamson, R., & Patton, G. C. (2005). Association between the COMT Val158Met polymorphism and propensity to anxiety in an Australian population-based longitudinal study of adolescent health. Psych Genet, 15(2), 109-115.
Witte, A. V., & Flöel, A. (2012). Effects of COMT polymorphisms on brain function and behavior in health and disease. Brain Research Bulletin, 88(5), 418-428.
Antypa, N., Drago, A., & Serretti, A. (2013). The role of COMT gene variants in depression: Bridging neuropsychological, behavioral and clinical phenotypes. Neuro Biobehav Rev, 37(8), 1597-1610.
Van Duursen, M. B., Sanderson, J. T., De Jong, P. C., Kraaij, M., & Van Den Berg, M. (2004). Phytochemicals inhibit catechol-O-methyltransferase activity in cytosolic fractions from healthy human mammary tissues: implications for catechol estrogen-induced DNA damage. Tox Sciences, 81(2), 316-324.
Jiang, J., Zhang, Y., Wei, L., Sun, Z., & Liu, Z. (2014). Association between MTHFD1 G1958A polymorphism and neural tube defects susceptibility: a meta-analysis. PloS one, 9(6).
Ganz, A. B., Shields, K., Fomin, V. G., Lopez, Y. S., Mohan, S., Lovesky, J., … & Taeswuan, S. (2016). Genetic impairments in folate enzymes increase dependence on dietary choline for phosphatidylcholine production at the expense of betaine synthesis. The FASEB Journal, 30(10), 3321-3333.

Healthy Habits To Lower Genetic Obesity Risk

What is the genetic basis of obesity?

Environmental Factors and Gene Expression