Gene–Environment Interactions on Body Fat Distribution

Abstract

The prevalence of obesity has been increasing markedly in the U.S. and worldwide in the past decades; and notably, the obese populations are signified by not only the overall elevated adiposity but also particularly harmful accumulation of body fat in the central region of the body, namely, abdominal obesity. The profound shift from “traditional” to “obesogenic” environments, principally featured by the abundance of palatable, energy-dense diet, reduced physical activity, and prolonged sedentary time, promotes the obesity epidemics and detrimental body fat distribution. Recent advances in genomics studies shed light on the genetic basis of obesity and body fat distribution. In addition, growing evidence from investigations in large cohorts and clinical trials has lent support to interactions between genetic variations and environmental factors, e.g., diet and lifestyle factors, in relation to obesity and body fat distribution. This review summarizes the recent discoveries from observational studies and randomized clinical trials on the gene–environment interactions on obesity and body fat distribution.

Circulating betatrophin/ANGPTL8 levels correlate with body fat distribution in individuals with normal glucose tolerance but not those with glucose disorders

“…In addition, our findings may explain why previous clinical studies have yielded inconsistent and even opposite betatrophin levels in obese or overweight people [10,11,13,39,40]. This is likely due to the different baseline characteristics of the populations recruited in these clinical trials, including age, sex, lifestyle, genetics, and gene-environment interactions that can influence body fat distribution [41]. In this study, we also found that correlations between betatrophin and body fat distribution indices only existed in the NGT group, not the IGT group.…”

“…We demonstrated that betatrophin levels are correlated with body fat distribution in individuals with NGT, showing a significant positive correlation with VAT/SAT ratio and negative correlation with lower body fat. The gold standard methods for assessing body fat distribution include CT and MRI, which allow the amount of adipose tissue deposited in particular depots to be accurately evaluated [24]; however, their time-consuming nature and high cost limit their clinical applications [41]. The findings of this study suggest that betatrophin could be a favorable indicator that reflects body fat distribution during the normal stage of glucose intolerance and could be a simple and reliable risk assessment surrogate for CAD and metabolic disease in clinical practice.…”

Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue in Female Volleyball Players: Is It Related with Performance Indices?

“…Thus, it might be assumed that the long-term adaptations to volleyball training might explain the relatively low scores of leg skinfold thickness in the participants. Nevertheless, the role of the genetical background on SAT distribution should not be ignored as it has been shown that a part of the variance in SAT distribution might be accounted for by genetic factors [47]. Thus, SAT distribution in female volleyball players might be attributed to sport-specific training within the limits set by genetics.…”

Circulating betatrophin/ANGPTL8 levels correlate with body fat distribution in individuals with normal glucose tolerance but not those with glucose disorders

“…In addition, our findings may explain why previous clinical studies have yielded inconsistent and even opposite betatrophin levels in obese or overweight people [10][11] [13][39] [40]. This is likely due to the different baseline characteristics of the populations recruited in these clinical trials, including age, sex, lifestyle, genetics, and gene-environment interactions that can influence body fat distribution [41]. In this study, we also found that correlations between betatrophin and body fat distribution indices only existed in the NGT group, not the IGT group.…”

“…We demonstrated that betatrophin levels are correlated with body fat distribution in individuals with NGT, showing a significant positive correlation with VAT/SAT ratio and negative correlation with lower body fat. The gold standard methods for assessing body fat distribution include CT and MRI, which allow the amount of adipose tissue deposited in particular depots to be accurately evaluated [24]; however, their time-consuming nature and high cost limit their clinical applications [41]. The findings of this study suggest that betatrophin could be a favorable indicator that reflects body fat distribution during the normal stage of glucose intolerance and could be a simple and reliable risk assessment surrogate for CAD and metabolic disease in clinical practice.…”