Could a genetic variant in our DNA decrease susceptibility to stress and overeating? Glucocorticoids, which are linked to overeating, regulate our body’s energy supply in response to stress. Ludmer Centre researcher Dr Patricia P Silveira and colleagues from research institutes in Brazil, Toronto and Montreal found that adolescents who carry an A3669G variant of the glucocorticoid-receptor gene consumed less calories and sugar, had lower insulin levels, and exhibited less vulnerability to anxiety.
This suggests the genetic variant A3669G changes our response to food and psychosocial stressors, possibly contributing to lower metabolic and psychiatric risks.
Read the article in Appetite
Learn more about the Primary Investigator: Dr Patricia P. Silveira (MD)
Reference: Rodrigues DM, Reis RS, Dalle Molle R, Machado TD, Mucellini AB, Bortoluzzi A, Toazza R, Pérez JA, Salum GA, Agranonik M, Minuzzi L, Levitan RD, Buchweitz A, Franco AR, Manfro GG, Silveira PP. (2017) Decreased comfort food intake and allostatic load in adolescents carrying the A3669G variant of the glucocorticoid receptor gene. Appetite. 2017 Apr 8.
Research collaboration: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil; Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Unit, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Brazil; Statistics Information Center, Fundação de Economia e Estatística, Brazil; McMaster University, Canada; Brain Institute of Rio Grande do Sul (InsCer), Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Brazil; Douglas Mental Health University Institute/McGill University, Canada; and University of Toronto, Canada