Recognizing Low Genetic Risk Is Associated With Decreased Anxiety Level and Increased Meat Consumption

OBJECTIVES: Psychological factors are known to affect dietary intake. Recognizing genetic information can lead to behavior changes by affecting psychological states such as anxiety or depression, depending on the degree of perception and severity of risks. In this study, we examined whether disclosing genetic risk affects anxiety or depression symptoms and the association between dietary intake and psychological factors. METHODS: A total of 100 healthy adults were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 65) informed with their genetic test results for BMI and lipid profiles (triglyceride and cholesterol concentration) and to the control group (CON, n = 35) not informed with. Based on the polygenic risk score calculated for each gene item by assigning 1 point for borderline risk and 2 points for caution, the intervention group was classified as Intervention-Low Risk (ILR, n = 32) or Intervention-High Risk (IHR, n = 33) group. Nutrient and food intake was measured by 3-day dietary recall at baseline, 1, 2, 3, and 6-month, and 23 food groups were classified based on similarity of nutrients. The depression and anxiety levels were measured using self-reported PHQ-9 and GAD-7. RESULTS: Subjects who perceived a low genetic risks (ILR) showed a significant increase in protein intake at 3-month compared to baseline, while there was no change in IHR and CON groups (ILR: 2.8 ± 0.9, IHR: 0.1 ± 1.1, CON: 0.7 ± 0.7% energy/day). Meat intake significantly increased in the ILR group at 3-month compared to the baseline, but not in IHR and CON groups (ILR: 41.5 ± 19.2, IHR: −34.7 ± 19.4, CON: −2.2 ± 17.5 g/day). The ILR group showed significant decreases in the GAD-7 scale at both 3- and 6-months, but no change was shown in the CON and IHR groups. Protein intake showed a positive correlation with meat intake (r = 0.437), and nutrients including riboflavin (r = 0.438), niacin (r = 619), vitamin B6 (r = 552), and iron (r = 305). In the ILR group, meat intake showed a negative correlation with GAD-7 score (r = −0.522). CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms of anxiety or depression was decreased in the individuals who perceived a low genetic risk. The decrease in anxiety level was associated with increased meat intake. This suggests that recognizing genetic information can affect the psychological state, which is accompanied by changes in dietary intake. FUNDING SOURCES: Seoul National University Research Grant 350–20,180,049.