A new strategy to analyze gene-nutrient interaction in children and adolescents

Abstract

Despite the increasing rate of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents in Brazil, nutritional deficiencies are still a concern. Although seemingly paradoxical, micronutrient deficiencies are linked to risk of being overweight or obese. Objectives: Analyze the response (SAM/SAH ratio) to vitamins supplementation (vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin D, vitamin E, niacin)in children and adolescents; correlate the response to genes involved in metabolism of the vitamins with SAM/SAH ratio; analyze the sequence of genes that interact with, are regulated by, or metabolize micronutrients mapping to quantitative trait loci (QTL) involved in obesity; analyze energy and nutrient intake; associate metabolic clusters based on SAM/SAH ratio to clusters of genotypic. Methods:We propose an intervention cross-over study to examine how a child or an adolescent will respond to vitamins supplementation regarding SAM/SAH ratio. The subjects have routine wellness check-ups at a public basic pediatric clinic on the outskirts of Ribeirão Preto (São Paulo, Brazil). The study design is based on measuring metabolites at baseline, after 6 weeks of a vitamin daily supplement, and following 6 weeks without the daily supplement. Comparing across the three time points will determine how an individual responds to changes in nutrient intakes. Genomic analyses using 5 M feature arrays will be used to associate changes in SAM/SAH levels to clusters of gene variants involved in nutrient metabolism. Expected Results: Our overall working hypotheses are that (i) the SAM/SAH ratio is a marker of nutritional status and(ii) individuals with different genetic make-ups will require different interventions to improve their methylation potential. (AU)