(P10-023-23) FADS2 SNP rs174602 Modifies the Association of Dietary N-6:n-3 Fatty Acid Ratio With Cardiometabolic Health at Age 11 Years

Objectives: We evaluated the role of selected variants in fatty acid desaturase (FADS) genes on cardiometabolic health (CMH) at age 11y and assessed interactions with prenatal Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) supplementation and offspring diet quality.

Methods: We used data from 11y.o. offspring (n=203) born to women who participated in a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial in Mexico of prenatal supplementation with 400 mg/d of algal DHA from mid-gestation through delivery. We generated a Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) score from body mass index, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, and fasting glucose. We identified six distinct haplotypes from five offspring FADS SNPs (rs174578, rs2727271, rs174602, rs174605, rs174550). Dietary n-6:n-3 fatty acid ratios were derived from 24-hour recall data available in a subset of children (n=141) and were classified into tertiles. Generalized linear models were used to test associations between offspring diet and FADS haplotypes with MetS score. We examined a priori interactions between FADS SNP rs174602 and a) maternal treatment group and b) offspring dietary n-6:n-3 ratio on MetS score.

Results: Associations between FADS haplotypes and MetS score were null. SNP rs174602 did not modify the association of prenatal DHA supplementation with MetS score. We observed interaction between SNP rs174602 and the dietary n-6:n-3 ratio (p = 0.05). Among children with TT or TC genotype (n = 88), those in the highest n-6:n-3 ratio tertile ( > 8.61) had higher MetS score relative to those in the lowest tertile ( < 6.67) (Δ = 0.36; 95% CI: 0.03, 0.69); among children with CC genotype (n = 53), those in the highest n-6:n-3 ratio tertile had lower MetS score relative to those in the lowest tertile (Δ = -0.23; 95% CI: -0.61, 0.16).

Conclusions: In this population of Mexican children, there was evidence of interaction between FADS SNP rs174602 and current dietary PUFA intake on MetS score, but not with prenatal DHA supplementation. Further work is needed to validate these findings in other settings to determine the utility of targeted supplementation strategies based on genetic profile.

Funding Sources: NIH, Nutricia Foundation, Laney Graduate School, and Conacyt, Mexico