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FGF21 hormone associated with sugar intake in humans

Variants of the hepatokine fibroblast growth factor 21 hormone, or FGF21, found in the liver, are associated with an increased intake of and preference for “sweets,” according to a recently published study. However, these variants do not correlate with obesity, type 2 diabetes or glucose intolerance.

“Our data suggest that the liver hormone FGF21 may regulate sweet consumption in humans, offering insight into the fundamental biology of nutrient appetite as well as a potential avenue for developing therapeutics to decrease intake,” Susanna Søberg, from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, and colleagues wrote. “We show that the rs838133 A-allele and highly correlated rs838145 G-allele associate specifically with increased total intake of sugars rather than complex carbohydrates, as well as the propensity to consume sweet snacks rather than fatty-sweet or salty snacks. Importantly, this change in diet structure does not affect total energy intake, as both protein and fat intake decrease.”

To investigate the relationship between the FGF21 variants and preference for sweet foods, the researchers enrolled 86 individuals to partake in a validated food frequency questionnaire and created frequency scores summarizing weekly intake of sweet snacks between meals.

Researchers divided sweet snacks into the sweet category “candy” or the fatty-sweet category “cake.” They analyzed each category’s score separately and then added together to calculate overall sweet-containing intake.

The participants with the rs838133 A-allele had an increased intake of all types of sweet-tasting foods (OR = 1.18; 95% CI, 1.06-1.32). The rs838133 A-allele was also associated with a higher intake of “candy” (OR 1.19; 95% CI, 1.07-1.32), whereas intake of “cake” was similar between genotype groups.

The rs838133 A-allele was also associated with higher prevalence for smoking (OR = 1.11; 95% CI, 1.02-1.2), increased alcohol intake (OR = 1.11; 95% CI, 1.02-1.22), higher intake of carbohydrates (P = .06) and a decreased protein intake (P = .001). There was a tendency toward decreased total fat intake, mediated by decreased consumption of monounsaturated fatty acids (P = .08), polyunsaturated fatty acids (P = .02) and omega-3 fatty acids (P = .08).

The rs838133 A-allele was not associated with increased total energy intake but was associated with lower BMI and waist circumference. Similarly, there was no association with type 2 diabetes. All results for rs838133 A-allele were highly consistent with those for rs838145 G-allele.

“The mechanisms that influence what foods humans want to consume may contribute to the global burden of morbidity and premature death because suboptimal diet is a primary risk factor for many common diseases. The ubiquity of palatable nutrients, especially sugars and fat, contributes to poor dietary choices by exploiting the tendency, which likely evolved in response to frequent periods of scarcity, to voraciously consume such energy-dense foods when available,” the researchers wrote. “Thus, a better understanding of the biological basis of palatable nutrient appetite is needed to develop strategies to improve diet quality and human health in modern food environments.” – by Talitha Bennett

Disclosures: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.