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Epidemiology and Population Health

Common variants in the CD36 gene are associated with dietary fat intake, high-fat food consumption and serum triglycerides in a cohort of Quebec adults

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Abstract

Background

The CD36 gene is a candidate for sensory detection of fatty acids and has been associated with individual differences in fat preferences and consumption. Excess adiposity may compromise sensory detection, but few studies have examined whether associations between CD36 variants and fat consumption differ between underweight/normal weight (UW/NW) and overweight/obese (OW/OB) individuals.

Methods

Diet (assessed by food frequency questionnaire), genetic (nine variants), body mass index (BMI), lifestyle and biomarker data were obtained from the CARTaGENE biobank (n = 12,065), a Quebec cohort of middle-aged adults. Primary outcome variables included intakes (%kcal/day) of total, saturated (SFA), monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids. Secondary outcome variables included consumption (servings/day) of four food categories with high-fat content (added fats and oils, high-fat foods, desserts and MUFA- and PUFA-rich foods) and biomarkers of chronic disease. Multivariable regression models stratified by BMI category were used to assess associations between CD36 variants and outcome variables.

Results

Among UW/NW, rs1049654 and rs10499859 were associated with higher intakes of total fat, MUFA and PUFA (all P < 0.05), while rs1527483 and rs3211956 were associated with higher SFA (P = 0.0278) and lower PUFA (P = 0.0466) intake, respectively. Rs1527483 and rs3211956 were also associated with higher consumption of high-fat foods and desserts (all P < 0.05). Among OW, rs1054516 and rs3173798 were associated with higher SFA intake (both P < 0.05), and rs1054516 was also associated with higher serum triglycerides (P = 0.0065).

Conclusions

CD36 variants are associated with habitual fat consumption, which may play a role in subsequent associations with chronic-disease biomarkers. Associations differ by BMI status and dietary fat type.

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Fig. 1: Serum triglycerides concentrations by rs1054516 genotype.

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Acknowledgements

Data for this investigation originated from the CARTaGENE biobank. The authors wish to thank the participants of CARTaGENE as well as the project’s Sample and Data Access Committee for their valuable contributions to the scientific community.

Funding

This work was supported by a McGill Institutional Start-up Grant (130211 to DEN). TM was a recipient of a FAES Marian and Ralph Sketch Fellowship (McGill University Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Human Nutrition, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Road, Sainte Anne de Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada

    Tongzhu Meng, Stan Kubow & Daiva E. Nielsen

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  1. Tongzhu Meng
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  2. Stan Kubow
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  3. Daiva E. Nielsen
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Contributions

DEN designed the study and obtained access to the data, TM conducted statistical analysis and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. SK provided guidance on study design and critically revised the manuscript. All authors reviewed and revised the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Daiva E. Nielsen.

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Meng, T., Kubow, S. & Nielsen, D.E. Common variants in the CD36 gene are associated with dietary fat intake, high-fat food consumption and serum triglycerides in a cohort of Quebec adults. Int J Obes 45, 1193–1202 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-021-00766-w

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