The genomics of childhood eating behaviours

Abstract

Eating behaviors may be expressions of genetic risk for obesity and are potential antecedents of later eating disorders. However, childhood eating behaviors are heterogeneous and transient. Here we show associations between polygenic scores for body mass index (BMI-PGS) and anorexia nervosa (AN-PGS) with eating behavior trajectories during the first ten years of life using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), N=7,825. Results indicated that one standard deviation (SD) increase in the BMI-PGS was associated with a 30-37% increased risk for early- and mid-childhood overeating. In contrast, one SD increase in BMI-PGS was associated with a 20% decrease in risk of persistent high levels of undereating and a 15% decrease in risk of persistent fussy eating. There was no evidence for a significant association between AN-PGS and eating behavior trajectories. Our results support the notion that child eating behavior share common genetic variants associated with BMI.

Triangulating Causality Between Childhood Obesity and Neurobehavior: Twin and Longitudinal Evidence

“…Results are in line with previous longitudinal evidence for a causal influence of personality and psychopathology measures on childhood obesity (Anzman-Frasca et al, 2015; Blaine, 2008; Camfferman et al, 2016; Christensen et al, 2019; De Decker et al, 2017; Derks et al, 2019; Korczak et al, 2013) as well as studies suggesting obesity and eating behavior to have a bidirectional relationship (Antoniou et al, 2016; Herle et al, 2021; Reed et al, 2017). Some studies suggested that childhood obesity may also influence psychopathology (Bradley et al, 2008; Hübel et al, 2019; Korczak et al, 2013).…”

“…An experimental study observing brain morphology changes following bariatric surgery found an effect of childhood obesity on cortical thickness (12). Genetically informed analyses revealed directional effects from polygenic scores for BMI to ADHD, heavy smoking (42), and overeating (43), as well as cortical volume (44). Schizophrenia and anorexia nervosa genetic propensity were identified to predict childhood obesity (42).…”

“…Genetically informed analyses revealed directional effects from polygenic scores for BMI to ADHD (Hübel et al, 2019) and overeating (Herle et al, 2021), as well as cortical volume (Lugo-Candelas et al, 2020). Anorexia nervosa genetic propensity was identified to predict childhood obesity (Hübel et al, 2019).…”

The impact of anorexia nervosa and BMI polygenic risk on childhood growth: A 20-year longitudinal population-based study

“… 44 , 45 , 46 Research also indicates that a higher PGS for AN is associated with emotional eating 44 and childhood fussy eating. 47 Taken together, several sources of converging evidence suggest that polygenic risk for AN and/or BMI may impact growth at least in part via eating behaviors.…”

Parental feeding and childhood genetic risk for obesity: exploring hypothetical interventions with causal inference methods

“…The PGS-BMI is a broad indicator of genetic propensity for higher BMI and might influence later body size through multiple metabolic and behavioral pathways. Previous research has indicated that childhood eating behaviors and childhood body size share some genetic etiology [ 41 ], including a recent study in this sample proposing that the PGS-BMI is associated with longitudinal patterns of overeating [ 42 ]. Other potential pathways in childhood might be physical activity, screen time, and dietary intake [ 43 ].…”