TAS1R3 and UCN2 Transcript Levels in Blood Cells Are Associated With Sugary and Fatty Food Consumption in Children.

Context: New types of dietary exposure biomarkers are needed to implement effective strategies for obesity prevention in children. Of special interest are biomarkers of consumption of food rich in simple sugars and fat, as their intake has been associated with obesity development. Peripheral blood cells (PBCs) represent a new promising tool for identifying novel transcript-based biomarkers. Objective: To study potential associations between the transcripts of taste-receptor-type-1-member- 3 (TAS1R3) and urocortin II (UCN2) genes in PBCs and the frequency of sugary and fatty food consumption in children. Design, setting and participants: 463 children from the IDEFICS cohort selected to include similar number of boys and girls, with normal-weight and overweight, belonging to eight European countries. Main outcome measures: Anthropometric parameters (measured at baseline and in a subset of 193 children after two years), food consumption frequency and transcript levels of TAS1R3 and UCN2 genes in PBCs. Results: Children with low frequency consumption of sugary foods displayed higher TAS1R3 expression levels with respect to those with intermediate or high frequency. In turn, children with high frequency consumption of fatty foods showed lower UCN2 expression levels with respect to those with low or intermediate frequency. Moreover, transcripts of TAS1R3 were related with BMI and fat-mass changes after a two-year follow-up period, with low expression levels of this gene being related with increased fat accumulation overtime. Conclusion: The transcripts of TAS1R3 andUCN2in PBCsmaybe considered as potential biomarkers of consumption of sugary and fatty food, respectively, to complement data of food-intake questionnaires.