MON-LB303 Behavioral Genotypes Associated With Adults With Obesity

The use of genetic testing to assist patients with weight loss is still relatively new. Genetic testing offers increased understanding of obesity risk, behaviors that can contribute to weight and much more. Research shows that patients are favorable to learning about how genetics influences their weight. As part of a larger project, this study aimed to identify the frequency of genotypes that influenced eating behavior traits of overweight and obese patients attending a medical weight loss clinic in southern California. All study procedures were approved by appropriate institutional review boards and administrators prior to initiation of the study. We used a quantitative retrospective design to identify participants with atypical eating behavior traits, i.e., (eating disinhibition, food desire, hunger, satiety, snacking, sweet taste, and the FTO obesity gene. The data were extracted from 75 genetic reports of patients who had completed a saliva sample with Pathway Genomics, San Diego, CA between 2017-2018. Analysis showed that 56 (75.7%) patients screened positive for eating disinhibition and 37 (50%) for food desire, whereas 29 (39.2%) were identified with the FTO gene. Also, 20 (27.0%) patients were positive for sweet taste, 13 (17.6%) satiety, 13 (17.6%) snacking, and 7 (9.46%) hunger. On average, patients screened positive for 2 (median value) eating behavior traits. Four (5.41%) patients screened positive for five eating behavior traits, the maximum observed in our sample. Biserial correlation analysis showed that satiety was correlated with the FTO gene (Pearson’s r=0.502, p<0.001) and eating disinhibition was negatively correlated with hunger (Pearson’s r=-0.450, p=0.034). Overall, overweight and obese patients had a disproportionally high incidence of eating disinhibition, food desire, and the FTO obese gene. These atypical behaviors can contribute to their difficulty in losing weight. Specific strategies can be discussed with patients around their atypical behaviors with regular follow up appointments by the clinician. Genetic testing can provide important patient education to improve outcomes related to weight management and health outcomes.