The FADS1 genotype was associated with an unfavorable body composition and high-risk body fat distribution patterns in black and white children with severe obesity, according to study results presented at the 2018 AGA James W. Freston Conference.
“We conducted this study because we noticed that most of our patients eat modern western diets which contain lots of refined sugars, carbohydrates and high fat,” Webb A. Smith, PhD, an assistant professor of pediatrics at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center and an exercise physiologist at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, told Healio Gastroenterology and Liver Disease. “These are well documented to increase the risk of numerous medical conditions including obesity, heart disease and diabetes. However, we also noticed that not all patients with these eating habits develop these health complications. We wanted to determine if we could identify factors that may explain why patients respond differently to unhealthy dietary patterns.”